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Guilt
Tracy Lee • Sep 28, 2020
I first met my friend when her husband passed away. It was a difficult time for her. I received the call that a man had passed at his home and that our services were requested by the family. My husband drove our hearse to the address and transferred the decedent back to our funeral home.
The decedent’s wife came in to make final arrangements and that is when our friendship began. Her recovery was difficult. She missed her husband and life was difficult for her. At that time, her grandmother was ill and she knew that she would pass away in the not so distant future.
That was the second service that I did for my friend. Again, her recovery was difficult. She had cared for her grandmother as she had aged, and losing her was extremely painful.
Several years have passed and early this morning, I received a call from the sheriff’s department. Our services were needed as there had been an accidental drowning at a lake near our home. A few moments later, my friend called. Her fiancé had drowned.
I will meet with my friend tomorrow to set about finalizing arrangements for her loved one. We just spoke on the phone a few moments ago. I hear the strain in her voice and feel the pain in her soul. We briefly spoke about recovery. She is already suffering emotions that will cause serious complications for her.
Grief Brief 25
GUILT
Guilt is common among survivors.
Usually, guilt is equated to something that did or did not transpire in connection to the death.
Guilt is generally irrational and dissipates itself through reality adjustments.
If guilt is justifiably connected to the death, intervention counseling should be engaged as soon as possible. (Mourning Light, 2016)
While speaking with my friend, I asked her if she were feeling guilt in connection to her fiancé’s death. She admitted that she was.
Guilt in connection to drowning is very common. Often the survivor barely survived the event and thereby feels guilt at being alive.
This is an irrational guilt reaction and it should resolve itself as time passes. The survivor's understanding should adjust to a more realistic understanding and acceptance of what actually happened.
A survivor of such a catastrophic event naturally questions why they have survived while their loved one did not. They may also feel as though they could have done something more to save their loved one. They often toil over the notion that they swam away from their loved one, leaving them vulnerable in a situation that caused their death. In most cases, the survivor reacted naturally to his/her survival instincts. Although there often is, there should be no blame in such a case. Families, friends, and acquaintances should understand that they have sadly lost one loved one, but that they are blessed that they did not lose two. Losing two loved ones is by far, a much more devastating event.
In this situation, not only must the survivor adjust to the reality of surviving, so too must others who harbor animosity, or who might display aggression toward the survivor. In such a case, both the survivor and the hostile family member, friend, or acquaintance are in need of grief counseling. If their issues remain unattended, dangerous confrontations may materialize. The survivor may also experience extreme psychological complications leading to contemplated, attempted, or successful suicide. Intervention for both parties is crucial.
If you know of someone who is a survivor of a drowning event, please offer them your support. Should their recovery not adjust itself to a realistic understanding of the events, please seek professional intervention for them. If their feelings of guilt and anguish are left unattended, you may find that you are burying a loved one that was once a survivor, but who is now a victim of self-inflicted demise.
Suicide is very real and very preventable. Please do all that you can to assist those who suffer this preventable destruction. Although it may seem simple, one of the greatest things you can do for someone who is hopeless is to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255. If your loved one is in an imminent or emergent situation, immediately call 911. First responders will arrive and assist your loved one with lifesaving intervention. Giving life and saving life are the greatest gifts one human being can offer another.
I will meet with my friend tomorrow. I will offer my condolences. I will also offer my assistance to promote healthy recovery. Over the next 12 months, I will be on the lookout for any display of hopelessness in her countenance. Should I feel at any time that she is vulnerable to suicide, I will immediately offer to help her call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, assist her through grief counseling, or in dire circumstances, immediately dial 911. She deserves that. She is a survivor of multiple difficult deaths. She needs someone looking out for her during this difficult time in her life.
The past two weeks have been difficult for me. I have suffered the loss of a dear friend and have served families that have suffered great losses. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unwarranted loss, stress, and heartache to so many people this year. Not only have we lost loved ones, but we have lost our economy, our comfort, and our security as Americans. Everywhere I look, it seems that people are rude and uncaring toward each other when what we need is love. I wish we could be kind to each other, considerate to each other, and help each other through our difficulties rather than burning cities, burning businesses, and tearing apart what makes up great, our Union. Americans are the most blessed people in the world. We live in a time of convenience and wealth. Why is it then that we can’t add kindness and respect to our society? Why must there be murders and brutal attacks on innocent people walking down the street? I work with families every day who would give all that they have for just one more moment with their loved one to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” Time is so precious, but even more precious is the way that we treat others. For if we treat others with contempt, we will reap the bitter reward of hatred. Hate eats a person from the inside out, and no matter how hard a hateful person tries to find happiness, it will never come to them. I know this because I see it every day. A hateful heart has no room for happiness. Happiness only comes to those who love. Love is like light. Light is the only thing that is stronger than the dark. If you have a completely dark room and you strike a match, the light from that match will push the darkness away and light up the room. Conversely, if you have a room filled with light and you cup your hands to create a spot of darkness. As soon as you open your hands, the dark is gone. Light overpowers it just as love overpowers hate. Love is the only thing that is stronger than hate. If you strike an ember of love in the heart of someone full of hate, love will grow and overtake their hatred. In my profession, love is very important. I see all too often those who have pushed love aside thinking that they were winning an argument or for some other ridiculous reason. What I see when this happens is that at the end of life, those who were foolish and let hatred get the best of them suffer the most. They remain miserable for the rest of their lives. Don’t be one of these people. Don’t let hatred get the best of you. And most assuredly, let us not allow hatred to overtake our country. I don’t want to live in a world filled with hatred and discontent. I want happiness and love for all. I especially want love in your life when you suffer loss because believe me, when the grim reaper knocks, it’s too late to cry for one more moment to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” At that moment, the weight of hatred crushes every hope you ever had to make amends, to accomplish happiness, or to right any wrong you may have perpetrated. It’s too late and you are the person who will suffer the consequences of your vicious actions. You are the person who will have no friends, no love, and who will die alone; miserable because of your hatred and terrible deeds. I know because I see it in so many people who thought they could just make a statement, a judgment, or an action and not suffer the consequences. In the end, it’s the hateful people who suffer the consequences. They die alone without love or support. Their needs are not met and they writhe in misery. I lost a dear friend this past week. He was kind, loving, and good. He made the world a better place, and he made my life happier through his actions of kindness toward me. I wish everyone alive could have known my friend. Christ died to make man holy, and my friend John took up his offer. John was a holy man. He lived his life serving others, teaching others, and helping anyone who needed help. He was filled with love and he shared his love with those who needed it. If we could all be like John, the world would be an amazingly happy and beautiful place. John is gone and I feel the weight of his loss deeply in my soul. He leaves a legacy of service to our nation, service to Christ, and service to anyone who needed it. He was a good man, a great man, and now he is gone. I will have the honor of directing his memorial service in a few days. The church will be bursting as those who John served make their way there to express their sorrow and love for him. I will be one of those people. John’s legacy will continue in his absence because he ignited goodness, love, and service in the hearts of those about him. May we all understand and embrace John’s mission in life to serve and love our fellow beings. Doing so will bring us the greatest rewards. It will fill our lives with the greatest gifts on earth; joy, happiness, and love. This is my prayer for you, for our nation, and for the world during this time of uncertainty and discontent. Thank you, John, for being my friend, and my God bless you as you arrive home, never to suffer more, the pains of the world nor heartaches of men. Godspeed.
I received a first call late last night and was therefore at the hospital when I ran into an acquaintance of mine. As we spoke, she told me that her father had recently died. She began to cry and I offered to send over a set of my grief books (Mourning Light I, II, & III) to her office the following morning. I wrote her a sympathy card and delivered the books about 15 minutes ago. She had not yet arrived at her office, so I left the books and card with her secretary. The following is the note I wrote in the sympathy card. I thought I would share it, in hopes that it might help others who mourn as well. Dear Friend, February will be the 2nd anniversary of my grandson’s death. It is said that “Death is Final”; that is untrue. The pain and loneliness remain in my soul, and it feels as though I held his lifeless body, yesterday, in my arms. That day broke me; it almost killed me. Had I not had the love and support of my husband and children, I don’t think my sanity would have remained with me. The pain continues to crush my soul with anguish. There are 4 things that have helped me survive the debilitating pain of losing my grandson, and I wanted to share them with you in hopes that you might find peace in them as well. Prayer Prayer was, and continues to be, my saving grace. Without the love and promise of Christ’s redeeming grace, peace would remain unobtainable. Recounting my Experience Sharing my story out loud made it real. It took away my fear. It gave me power over the chaos of pain. Information As a certified grief counselor, knowing what to expect and whether it was normal or abnormal helped keep my worries at bay. The books that I have sent over are filled with information, plainly and simply written, to help you understand and identify the symptoms of grief, as well as recovery’s signs and secrets. Journaling Writing down my anguishes, thoughts, pains, worries, and fears helped me to let them go. I was able to organize myself, and it gave me hope for my future. I am sorry for the dreadful sorrow in your heart, and the pain that infiltrates your daily existence. I understand that breathing feels unnatural, it takes effort to continue on, and that peace eludes you. I wish that death did not exist, but it is a reality that the both of us know all too well; one that we must endure. I believe that families are forever, that we are all God’s children, and that we will reunite with our loved ones across the veil as we too, one day, experience death. Until that day arrives, however, I pray that you and I will live our lives as emissaries of Christ, basking in his grace, and recipients of his glory. I hope that as you suffer the loss of your daddy that you will feel comfortable in reaching out to others, and that you might call me should you need assistance. The pain of grief should never be carried nor suffered in silence, nor alone. Reach out and allow those who love and care for you to lighten your burdens. Life will never be as it once was, but it will improve as you share priceless moments of peace with those who remain by your side. I hold you in high esteem, and pray that Christ’s promise will grace your soul. With Deepest Regards, Tracy Lee My name is Tracy Renee Lee. I am a Certified Grief Counselor (GC-C), Funeral Director (FDIC), published author, syndicated columnist, and co-founder of the “Mikey Joe Children’s Memorial” and Heaven Sent, Corp. I write books, weekly bereavement articles, and Grief BRIEFs related to understanding and coping with grief. I am the American Funeral Director of the Year Runner-Up and recipient of the BBB’s Integrity Award. It is my life's work to comfort the bereaved and help them live on, as well as educate adults in the needs of surviving children.