Grief Grappling - Fighting for a New Normal

There is tremendous shock, confusion, and even denial that accompanies sudden death. It is equally traumatic to watch the prolonged suffering of those you love. Regardless of how grief comes for you, it will come– it is the great, dark hunter. You can’t ignore grief. It tracks you down and demands its rightful share of your life, no matter what the circumstance. 

Back in my early grief days, I was simply learning how to tell my story, struggling to put into words what had happened to my loved ones and to explain what had happened to my life. I felt as if each day was a long tournament, because I never knew exactly how the opponent, grief, would present itself. Every day, there is some part of grief we must face to prepare for the next weeks and months. I might as well understand that I’m in a match where grief is my lifetime opponent. But my life can still be happy, hopeful, and full of love.

Grief Is an Equalizer

The Olympic Games open doors for us to see different styles of training, competition and triumph. People come from all around the world and bring different cultures, traditions, languages, politics, faiths, obstacles, and ideas as they compete. We can consider how this thought ties in with our personal views of grief. 

By now, we’ve learned that death does not discriminate– everyone experiences it at some point. When it finally touches our lives, we don’t all grieve the same way; therefore, we don’t always speak the same grief language. But our objective is the same– to get healthy and learn how to live fully again in the shadow of our losses.

Step on the Mat

There will be days when you will feel strong, as if you can take on grief with no training. Maybe your grief shows up for an early workout session, and it seems easy. However, there are plenty of days when grief waits for us with a surprise training round late in the day when we are tired and weak. Some days, we will beat it, but other days, it may get the best of us. This is OK. 

The larger point is that we step onto the mat. We get stronger every time we learn to face the way our lives have changed. And, we increase our stamina by knowing that while grief changed us, it only won the round and not the tournament.

Finding Inspiration

Olympic training takes absolute commitment, strength, and courage– it is inspirational. What an example of wanting something so badly that you spend hours every day training? Olympic athletes train tirelessly for their success and make sacrifices for the opportunity to compete. Can we do any less to honor our heroes? 

Nope. That’s exactly what we have to do. Now, we need to focus on daily training because grief grappling is not for the faint of heart.

TAPS resources are designed for people at all training levels, so don't be afraid to reach out. Don't try to be a superstar and go it alone. You'll burn out quickly. You need people. We need each other even in the calm moments when we aren't grieving. 

Sometimes, pride or insecurity may get in your way, but even Olympians have coaches and trainers helping them prepare for and compete at their level. This is your opportunity to receive expert coaching and encouragement. You will definitely have the opportunity to pay it forward, I guarantee.  

It’s OK To Take a Knee

Special dates, memorable occasions, and holidays can leave us depleted and tired. These feelings are why we need to work daily on our grief and build our stamina for the times when the loss and heartache wash over us. It’s alright if there are days when you need to take a knee. In these moments, carve out just a bit of time for personal reflection and affirmation. In this event, there is a prize for just waking up to face another day.

Take the Round

Loss will be with us forever. But, our loved ones are also with us forever. This assurance helps us continue to commit to making our days better, even when they’re hard. Is our training regimen helping us improve and reach our personal best? Hopefully, with regular grief work, you will find more days when you take the round. But, as I’ve found, sometimes the punches just keep coming. As soon as we face one loss, another seems to come. It’s OK to acknowledge the difficult times as well as the ways you’ve found basic coping skills. Pretty soon, you’ll be refreshed and ready to face the next layer of thoughts, hurt, and uncertainty. 

In the TAPS family, you’ll see people at all stages in the grief process. It may be overwhelming to know how deep the field goes. We might start to lose hope, or we may be newly encouraged when we can step back, lower the pressure, and take it one round, or day, at a time.

A New Understanding of Victory

Grief has no finish line, so we must commit to establishing a pace that is comfortable and sustainable. The goal is to be present, participate in the journey, and strive alongside other survivors. We’ll become more mentally, spiritually, and emotionally fit, and all the hard work will be worth it. Our spirits will feel lighter and more joyful as we reevaluate what it means to triumph through grief, to cope with it rather than to “over” it. 

So, if we see each other grappling with grief and it looks as if we’re having trouble, reach out. The support of our team guarantees that we’ll keep trying. The most painful events we experience can motivate us to become stronger, wiser, and more resilient. Isn’t that victory?

Sweeping Out the Cobwebs

Thoughts from the author:

I tend to spend part of the fall season looking over the past year and taking stock. I reflect on this crazy existence by writing, sweeping out the cobwebs in my mind, and reflecting on what I have learned about life, love, and loss.

Years ago, my husband kissed me for the last time before succumbing to complications of lung cancer. It seems like it was yesterday– it seems like forever ago. I miss him more as time goes by.

I found this to also be true after losing my dad and grandmother, who both suffered for a period before their deaths. My dad suffered debilitating strokes in the last year and a half of his life. Grandma’s decline was over about three years. It took some time for all the good, pretty memories to overcome the sadness, pain, changes, and suffering that were present at the end.

And, on the other hand, the very sudden deaths of my mother and son cut like a knife from the start. My mother showed no signs of illness when she died from sudden cardiac arrest at 62. My son was 33 when he died unexpectedly from service-related injuries.

These multiple rounds of grief have driven me to face my grief in a new way and formulate a plan to deal with this new normal. Weary with loss, I’m still working hard to embrace grief, give it its due, and move past changes I never anticipated.

Sandra Egts is the surviving mother of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Adam James White.

Photos: TAPS Archives

This article was first published in the TAPS Magazine, Fall 2016, Issue 22, Volume 3, pages 24 and 25.