In a chapter of my book I mention my colleague Annabelle who worked so closely with me on some innovative programs we did in North Queensland over twenty years ago. We lost touch for a number of years but have recently caught up with each other. Strangely we became widows in the same year. She lost her husband Kim in June and then I lost my lovely Mick at the end of October.
She gave me the most wonderful book on grieving that I have ever seen. It is called “Tear Soup – a recipe for healing after loss”, written by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen. It compares our grieving process to the ingredients of a pot of soup and explains how we all grieve so differently and how some keep making their tear soup for too many years. I identified with the following passage so much:
“Grandy’s arms ached and she felt stone cold and empty. There were no words that could describe the pain she was feeling. What’s more, when she looked out of the window it surprised her to see how the rest of the world was going on as usual while her world had stopped.”
I will be using this book quite a bit in some workshops and I know the agony of the past nine months only adds to the value of what I have to offer in my work.
As I said in my last blog, the framework I have written in my book was a help to me in that I was able to observe what was happening to me – when I began thinking more clearly – but I then had to work on a daily process to get me on track again as I felt myself slipping back to victimhood. I’m usually the one to guide my clients through processes that suit their situations.
A friend suggested Rhonda Byrne’s sequel to The Secret called Magic , which requires the reader to undergo twenty eight days of a gratitude program. There was nothing in it that I hadn’t seen before and I certainly had experienced the power of the ‘law of attraction’ but I needed to discipline myself to a structure and I am now up to Day 24.
Everything has changed for me. I was beside myself with concerns about how I was going to manage, how I would earn money as there were debts incurred while I wasn’t working and my darling’s brain malfunction resulted in some choices that we would not normally have made.
Magic has certainly happened for me – I have become the recipient of many ‘miracles’ – Secret Santas who put money into my account; Telstra took $1,000 off my bill; Jetstar refunded money from a flight which I was going to use to take Mick on a holiday to the reef before he became too ill.
This enables me to go to Melbourne to work with my colleagues on an exciting apps program with a brilliant animator in Melbourne. It also makes it possible for me to attend Annabelle’s 60th birthday in Cairns at the end of February al at no extra cost to me. It has been amazing!
Most exciting is receiving a call from my American publicist and he is going to put out a press release to garner interest in Lyn Traill doing chat shows, talks, interviews etc in America and Canada. Here I come Oprah! None of this could have happened if it hadn’t been for the generosity of Mike Andrew from Your Net Solutions who freely gives of his time and expertise to keep my website improving in a professional way. Every step I take at the moment I am saying “Thank You”!
