Sharing Grief

There are times when other people (or I should say friends) understand your grief.  They understand it so much that for just a minute or two they show you their true and raw emotion and you know they miss him too.  It doesn't happen often that you feel like someone gets it or misses him the same way you do, but when they do and even better when they show it, it helps.

Recently a friend of mine said she missed Charlie.  I looked into her eyes and saw that she really meant that she missed him.  It wasn't a "I miss him for you..." or "I wonder what he would be doing if he were here..."  It was a genuine and true I miss him.  It made my heart hurt in a such a good way.  And to be honest I am not even sure this person realized she was sharing this grief with me in the most perfect way.  There was no fixing it or changing it that wiggled its way into that moment;  just a friend being present and real with an emotion she felt even if only for an instant.  There was a connection between us that has helped me trust her and her ability to be there for me.