October 27th, 2012 – July 27th 2014: Beginning of the 22nd month.
December 19th, 2010 – October 27th, 2012: 22 months old.
The length of time Rees was in our lives is now the length of time he was removed ripped from it. I never really realized just how short a span of time 22 months was until I lived it in the wake of his loss. 22 months since I last heard his laugh. 22 months since he woke we up with his smile. 22 months since he last grabbed my hand. 22 months since I last heard him speak. 22 months since he was last in my physical world. 22 months since I was whole…
22 months represents his entire life. Beginning to end. Everything he was, everything I know about him – I feel about him, is derived from a lifetime that spanned 2 months shy … Read More
editor’s note: This post was originally published in July of 2014 but has been updated to include recent events.
The first few weeks of grief after losing a child are a mixture of rage, sadness, helplessness and fear: An unstable concoction that can react and explode at any given moment. As someone who can now count himself among the unfortunate fraternity of those who lost a child I am sometimes asked by people to reach out to others who have recently suffered the same loss. The almost universal inquiry that follows is if I can say something , anything, that will help them or guide them along their path. Sadly, it is in those early days that words will have little or no effect. I cannot describe the hysteria that is felt in the immediate aftermath other than to say it is a wheel of emotions in perpetual flux. You … Read More