The Saddest Month Ever

I am a breavement counselor for our local hospice. Part of my job consists of meeting with adults and children in the community who have recently (or not so recently) experienced the death of someone they love. They talk and I listen and sometimes God gives me something encouraging to say to them. Other times I've been known to just cry with them.

A couple of weeks ago two young boys came to see me. They were brothers, ages 14 and 15. Their dad had died when they were very young and their mother had remarried. They loved their step-dad. Their maternal grandmother had died when they were very young also and their grandfather had lived with them their whole remembered lives.

Although the boys were teenagers, they were slight of build and could easily have passed for 11 and 12. One was very quiet and looked so very sad it broke my heart. The other (the younger brother) was the "spokesman" for the two of them.

This is the story they told me.....

Their dog died on March 30th. Their dog had been their constant and faithful companion for almost ten years...most of their life. They were inconsolable. So to make them feel a little better their mom suggested that they spend Saturday night (March 31st) at their cousin's house. They thought that would be a great idea and they went quite happily. On Sunday morning their step-dad called them. Their mom had gone to bed Saturday night and did not wake up Sunday morning. She was dead.

They both told me how brave they had been when their mom died. How they had both been pall bearers at their mom's funeral. They told me how sad they were.

Then they said that their grandfather was very ill and that when their mom died he had seemed to give up on life. They were busy taking care of him to fulfill their mom's promise that she would always take care of him.

They said that this had been the saddest month ever.

Their grandfather died the next day. This was one of those times I just cried.