Life-altering losses

Hello,

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain" ~ Kahlil Gibran

I love the power of this quote. I strongly believe in its truth. A few days ago, Jennifer from Life After Tampons shared her story of losing her daughter, Grace, how this loss turned her life upside down, and how she turned her grief around to be of service to others. To say that her post struck a chord in me is an understatement. It made me want to write a little bit about my story of loss.

His name was Youenn, we met in high school and we hit it off instantly. He loved talking, he was very learned, and funny, so I became his favorite audience. All in all, our friendship lasted only 3 years and took us through the meanders of adolescence, with its contrasted ups & downs, but above all, we ran the whole gamut from falling in & out of love, and for the last year & a half of his life, the rough roller coaster ride of cancer. A few weeks ago, I made my first page about him:

(LO made thanks to Shimelle's class Scrapbook Remix and some October Afternoon Thrift Shop papers)

This picture was taken before we met and it was given to me by his mum after his death when we met regularly to talk about him and walk through our grief. I don't know if today we'd still be close. He left with many unanswered questions. But what I'll always keep close to my heart is his endless optimism. One week before dying, he was making plans of opening a business. He always fought against the odds (he was deaf), he struggled to be accepted in "normal" schools and to get a good education. He taught me so much; I learned as much from him alive as when he left. 

Grief comes in layers and it took me a very long time to fully appreciate each individual layer. Today, I feel compelled to honor what we had. I have a little professional project in mind that would include working in hospitals with terminally-ill patients. It's a difficult and long road to embark on, but I know I'll get there. In the name of what we went through. In celebration of the good things I learned from him. Because there is always something to celebrate. Until the very last second, we can share, connect, and grow together. 

So Jennifer, Grace has also touched my heart and I hope this post will touch yours as well. If you, readers, ever felt compelled to write a post about YOUR story of loss, don't hesitate to leave a comment so I can read it.

Sabrina S.