When I was about sixteen years old, my cousin died. It was unexpected and it was a huge shock. Everyone was devastated - of course. As anyone would be when a teenage boy tragically and unexpectedly dies. I remember everyone crying a lot. I also remember not crying much. His sister, always my closest family member was broken. I remember being there for her. I[...]
They say death is the number one fear. Not to me. I'm not afraid of dying. You see to me you're alive And then you're not Just light one minute and darkness the next No I'm not afraid of dying. Only the bereaved I'd leave behind. You see I know that feeling all too well The pain that fills the void The heart-break that fills the silence[...]
A few weeks ago, my doorbell rang. It was my uncle dropping off some things from my grandmother's house. You see, my grandmother died in January. A few days after my 33rd birthday - while I was lying in hospital. This woman had been like my mother. For ten years of my life she took care of me, she brushed my hair, she dressed me, she made my lunch. She loved me[...]
Sometime in September, after I had given birth to my son and landed up in ICU after severe complications, my mother walked into my room in the intensive care unit and with one look I knew she was there to break the news to me. The cancer that was eating him alive had finally beaten him. His body was weak, it was no surprise. It hurt but it was also a relief to know hi[...]