A thank you to the local grief seminar

A letter to the editor of the 100 Mile Free Press by Karen Attewell

To the editor:

Hello, My name is Karen.

Well, let me start from the beginning.

My Husband and I were in a car accident about three and a half years ago. Two weeks after the accident he died in our home.

He was my whole life, we did everything together. I was in a city that provided me with very little support. I had my sisters and brother-in-law to help me from a distance.

I was a long way from family. I had to get the house ready to sell, get everything together. My daughter came up for a month to help me with the house and the packing.

To make a long story short, after a year I sold the house and moved into the house we had built to retire in. Through that year I went to see the doctor more than I had in my life I kept busy to keep the pain at bay.

When I moved to 108 Mile Ranch, I was told about a grief seminar that was taking place in 100 Mile.

It took some time before I had the heart to go. I am so glad I did, I discovered I was not going crazy, there was nothing physically wrong with me and that I was not dealing with the grief I was pushing it down.

That was not the thing to do I found out from the others. I have to go through it to get past it. I ended up going to three of the seminars to understand what I was going through.

I met lots of people and have a very good friend who went through the grief seminars as well.

Sarah and Heather made me realize it is ok to feel the way I do. I have come a long way in the short time with the help of family and friends who I’ve met in the 108 area.

I still have bad days and I will never forget my husband, my best friend. I now have to learn to live with it.

I am now at a different stage in my life, I met someone that has the same interests as I do and I am laughing a lot more and having fun. There are times when I feel guilty, I will learn to live with this as well.

I really hope this helps someone. Crying is good I found out so cry as much or as little as you feel you need to.

And the best to you in your journey.

Karen Attewel

108 Mile Ranch

100 Mile House Free Press