And the Grief Goes On...

Tom, Diane and I thought it would be a nice idea to continue to meet on the same evening for awhile.  We weren’t quite ready to give each other up.  There is a restaurant in the area that is easy access to the Beltway.  The Grief Group continued to meet at Grevey’s.  Yes, I know it so corny but true.

We met about four weeks in a row after the grief group ended.  Tom and Diane told me that they were dating the first week we met at the restaurant.  I told them that I saw the way Tom looked up at Diane at that first meeting and I wasn’t surprised at all.  Tom’s girls were having a hard time dealing with the thought of their dad dating but Tom said they were all grown and had lives and he wanted one too.  I was very happy for them, a little jealous but happy.

It wasn’t long before they called to tell me they were getting married.  They invited the group to Tom’s for a barbecue and made the announcement.  It was encouraging to be able to celebrate their decision.

It would have been sweet to be swept off my feet by someone but I wasn’t quite ready to think in those terms.  I had two young boys and I would need to figure many things out before I went down that road.

It was terrific to hear the updates from our friends as time passed.  One man in his seventies was busy playing Senior League Baseball.  He was having an awesome time.  Another gentleman who was really struggling during the official meetings had decided to take a car trip to Florida to visit friends.  He had made the plan and was getting ready to leave soon.  Tom had retired and was planning on spending loads of time with Diane and Diane was shutting down her organization that she had worked on with her husband, Dan..  It was a school reform organization and she realized it was time to let go.

The barbecue was a type of send off party.  I saw Tom and Diane once after that; we enjoyed a dinner together in the summer before school started. Then Tom had to have surgery on his back and he was laid up for quite a bit.  We fell out of touch after awhile.

These were “little while friends” who had played an important role in the healing of my heart.  We had touched each other with our stories and our compassion but in the end, we were meant to return to our lives.