Is Losing A Grandmother Easier than Losing A Sister?

[Reviewed and updated August 2, 2022]

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~ Unknown

A reader writes: My sister died two months ago. She was only 35 years old. It still seems impossible. She is the baby out of ten of us and she also leaves behind 3 young children and her husband. She was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Every time I drive the Interstate I re-live the drive to the hospital when I got the call that she had been taken from home in an ambulance. I remember praying to God that she was OK. I remember feeling that she was already gone. When they told me she "had passed," I had to see for myself.

Caregiving and Hospice, March 23 - March 29, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Language Matters: Journalism's Role In End Of Life Care, http://j.mp/QrfQ6z « Life Matters Media

Caregiving After A Stroke: Suggested Resources, http://j.mp/18q79iU « Grief Healing Blog

At the tipping point: Caregiving Is A Corporate Issue, http://j.mp/1dBBi31 « Forbes

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 23 - March 29, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Kay Warren: A Year of Grieving Dangerously, http://j.mp/1jgoE9E «  Christianity Today

Useful guide! Important contacts after your partner’s death, http://j.mp/P9aID1 « Lost My Partner Blog

Helpful new grief website launched, http://j.mp/1dvs7kD « Personal Growth and Grief Support Center

Coping with Pet Loss, March 23 - March 29, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Hospice Care... for Pets? http://j.mp/1hCN9tg « Sarah Hodgson, Huff Post Green

Grief, Sorrow, Loss - Is There A Purpose In Them? http://j.mp/1jUK1vm « Ezine Articles

Stilled and Beating Hearts, http://j.mp/1dNr3mJ « Modern Loss

Facing Another Funeral, Without 'Falling Apart'

[Reviewed and updated September 2, 2025]

All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again. ~ English Nursery Rhyme

A reader writes: My brother passed away from colon cancer 18 months ago. I spent the last two weeks of his life with him. It was a horrible, painful death and I don't think he ever came to grips with it, thinking that he would somehow be OK even in his final days. He didn't want people to fawn over him or feel sorry for him, so I was the only person other than his wife that he asked to be there.

Caregiving and Hospice, March 16 - March 22, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Learn About FREE Social Services in Your Area, http://j.mp/1p2wrKC « Caregiving Cafe Blog

Spring Cleaning the Soul: Hospice Caregivers Can Greet Spring Anew, http://j.mp/1gj2N1q « Caring with Confidence

Lessons In the Art of Dying, http://j.mp/1qU1HMU « Washingtonian

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 16 - March 22, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Poignant piece on child loss: It's the Shame, http://j.mp/1jfpYvR « The Grief Toolbox

Even in Grief, You Have the Power of One, http://j.mp/OKofAN « Grief Digest Magazine

An Online Generation Redefines Mourning, http://j.mp/1nLv98G « The New York Times

Coping with Pet Loss, March 16 - March 22, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

A creative way to honor a beloved four-footed friend! pic.twitter.com/xfo4GAhwH2

The Impermanence of Dogs, http://j.mp/1jlH4DY « Spirit Scraps

Bereavement: Doing The Work of Grief

A reader writes: It has been a year and 3 months since my best friend died. I think I've moved thru alot of the intensity of my grief and now what I feel left with is something similar to the wreckage after a train wreck. I feel so afraid...so removed from the person I used to be. I am not myself...my old self. I kinda expected that, but I feel so unmoved by life right now. Nothing seems to thrill me...in fact everything seems to be a struggle to do.

I have moments of feeling energetic and ok...but alot of this crappola too. I wonder if my mind is stuck in "negative" mode...am I pushing the grief too hard still, expecting myself to be free of it? Is it realistic to expect to feel joy and happiness and zest for life now...or do I need to cultivate that? My body feels like it has been beaten up, my mind feels like I'm missing a few screws. I am a mess..not sure where to start...not sure I have the energy to start. My body aches, I have headaches, weird stomach stuff...off balance somewhat. My muscles have never been so tense. I feel like i could collapse and at times that would be a welcome rest. I'm just feeling really crappy and now that alot of the dust has settled...I feel huge saddness and depression that my dearest friend died. I feel shell shocked. I don't know what I need. Is it normal to feel this way? How do I pick up and move on?  Read on here >>>

Caregiving and Hospice, March 9 - March 15, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Top 5 Tips for Siblings Caring for Aging Parents, http://j.mp/1hmOtle « Being Well Within

My Guilt and Its Impact on Caregiving,  http://j.mp/1iKRkVT « The Caregiver Space

Let me hold a dog one more time, http://j.mp/ObRI6C « Examiner.com