Picking Up the Pieces

Reader Contribution by Lois Hoffman
Published on March 21, 2019
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Photo by Adobe Stock/MarekPhotoDesign.com.

Here in the Midwest, winters are harsh. This year has been especially tough as we have had it all, rain, freezing rain, snow, fog, arctic blasts, and sometimes all of them in the same day. I am not complaining; we all know what we are up against if we choose to live here.

It’s just that after harvest is in the bag and after the holidays, those of us that stay in the frozen north instead of heading south look forward to a couple months of “ahhhh” time. A time to sleep in, catch up on some reading, start (or finish) some projects and generally just do whatever we want that we don’t have time for the rest of the year.

This time of year, January through March, also seems to be harsh in other ways too. It seems to me that every year at this time, we lose more people from our lives than at any other time of the year. We have had three funerals within a span of three weeks. That is a bit much.

I don’t know if it is just coincidence or if the sunless days and the nasty conditions forcing us to stay inside more have anything to do with it. Maybe it is just easier for those that are sick or hurting to give up during these dreary days. Anyone that really knows me, knows that my cup is usually half full instead of half empty; that is just the optimist in me.

So, in spite of the added loss at this time of year, there is a positive (if there is a positive at all)  in losing someone during the winter. Especially if it is a close relative or friend, the time after loss is spent going through the personal belongings of the deceased. As much as this hurts, it is part of the healing process. And, once in a while, we find some little tidbit that gives us a little more connection to our loss.

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