I asked this week's guest, Jill Johnson-Young, the following question:
"How are you still upright?"
@RebelliousWidow experienced the loss of Linda, her first love, after 23 years. Linda had survived breast cancer but later succumbed to pulmonary fibrosis which was due to the chemo she received to beat the breast cancer.
Jill would find herself, what she calls, a "rebellious widow" once more after her love, Casper, died of Lewy Body Dementiaafter 3 1/2 years.
The capacity to love is plentiful in Jill's heart, along with Linda and Casper, who were also co-parents in their own time, to at-risk children who needed it most; children who had experienced grief and trauma, too. Jill weaves in stories of being an adoptive parent throughout this episode, providing tips and guidance in supporting grieving children.
We are all "built" differently. Our environments, family unit, generational beliefs passed down, personal experience, our own uniqueness, and more all add to the tapestry of our lives. And, altogether greatly influence how we respond to grief and trauma.
Growing up within a family unit that openly talked about death, dying, and grief at the kitchen table, Jill learned valuable lessons that would shape her path forward as a clinical social worker and set her up to embrace the grief that was to come rather than run from it.
We talk about so many areas of grief and loss, as it pertains to children, death and dying, hospice/palliative care, boundaries, and the how of getting through it all.
We are taught how to acquire things/people, not what to do when we lose them. Let this episode bring hope to your sorrowful heart if you are grieving today.
As Jill states, "You can still go to Disney if you're grieving!"
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