Please.........don't ask me if I'm over it yet  -  I'll never be "over it"

Please.........don't tell me she's in a better place  -  she isn't HERE

Please.........don't say at least she isn't suffering  -  I haven't come to terms with why she had to suffer at all

Please.........don't tell me you know how I feel unless you have lost a child yourself

Please.........don't tell me to get on with my life  -  I'm still here aren't I?

Please......... don't ask me if I feel better  -  bereavement isn't a condition that "clears up"

Please.........don't tell me at least you had her for 8 years  -  what year would you have chosen for your daughter to die?

Please..........just say you are sorry

Please .........just say you remember her if you do

Please..........just let me talk if I want to

Please.........just let me cry when I need to

Could we ever forget your sparkling eyes

Or the way you brightened each day.

Or your smile which is etched in our memories,

so you're never far away.

Could we ever forget those priceless moments,

the answer of course is never.

You were part of our lives for a brief time.

But you will be part of our hearts forever.

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving

The sea I swim in is a lonely one, and the shore seems miles away.

Waves of despair numb my soul as I struggle through each day.

My heart is heavy with sorrow

I want to shout and scream and repeatedly ask 'WHY'

At times, my grief overwhelms me

and I weep bitterly, so great is my loss.

Please don't turn away, or tell me to move on with my life

I must embrace my pain before I can begin to heal.

Companion me through my tears and sit with me in loving silence

Honour where I am in my journey, not where you think I should be.

Listen patiently to my story, I may need to tell it over and over again.

It's how I begin to grasp the enormity of my loss.

Nurture me through the weeks and months ahead.

Forgive me when I seem distant and inconsolable.

A small flame still burns within my heart

and shared memories may trigger both laughter and tears.

I need your support and understanding

There is no right or wrong way to grieve, I must find my own path.

Please, will you walk beside me?