Sad news

[Lloyd61]

Sorry to unload here, feel very disconnected from others that knew my friend.

Had taken last week off to enjoy some time with my partner, but returned to work this week (Tuesday) to find a letter on my desk. Looking at the return address I had a bad feeling about the contents. Sure enough, it was sent from the partner of a RAAF friend advising me that he had passed away from brain cancer last January 2019, had taken her this time to track me down. He was a very personal person, so felt very privileged that I was one of the few he kept in contact with since we both discharged back in the 90s, but he never indicated he was of ill health. His passing has impacted me more so than even my own mothers passing last year.Feeling rather lost.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Lloyd61,

Thank you for writing in and sharing this with us. I am so sorry to hear about your friend.

How would you like us to support you here? Would you like to tell us more about him?

Grief is so so hard. As much as I've wanted to, I haven't found any answers to make things a little less lost or a little less painful. But I hope that by being here you can find some support.

rt

[sunnyl20]

Hi Lloyd,

I am so sorry to hear about your friend's passing. Grief is difficult and can be very painful. And I am sorry that you are feeling disconnected, that can really compound the emotional impact of what's happening. Please look after yourself - be kind to yourself and give yourself the time and space that you need to grieve and process what has happened. If you feel like it may be helpful, you are more than welcome to share what your friend was like and what you went through together. But I also understand that may be very personal - maybe it could be helpful to handwrite something or write him a letter (I know this sounds really strange but letter writing can be quite cathartic/therapeutic even if it is just for you and you never do anything with the letter).

P.S. You never need to apologise for reaching out for support or needing to unload/vent. This is what this space is for. What you are going through must be so difficult.