DON'T BE NICE TO ME

At some point in our lives we will experience some sort of loss or the sickness of loved one, and there is no doubt running through your mind as people bestow kindness on you - you will be thinking . . . don't be nice to me. What I mean is, in times when your emotions are all wrapped in the loss of someone, people hugging you, bringing you coffee, even opening a door for you, all these acts of kindness can lead you to - convulsing tears.

My dad has been sick for a couple of months, stricken with sudden symptoms of Parkinsons Disease, his inability to swallow has seen a man who was last year 170 lbs reduced to 110 lbs. On his road to recovery there have been many ups and downs and yesterday he hit another bump. In the time of about 12 hours he became seriously ill and we were told his chances were not good. Between yesterday and today, the outpouring of kindness has been unbelievable, strangers and friends alike have reached out to us and given their shoulders to cry on. Today I am walking around in a daze, crying on demand to those simple acts of humanity that we sometimes forget amongst the stock market crashes, wars, teen violence and celebrity gossip. I am exhausted and there are times when I feel I can't cry anymore, times when I think for a moment please don't be nice to me. But they are few and far between, crying is the release and honestly I love the kindness people have shown my family. From now on I will embrace this humanity because in a world with so little of it, I need to suck it up and pass it on. How do you handle loss and what has helped you?