Welcome, as always...
A special welcome to anyone who is new to The Grieving Room. We meet every Monday evening. Whether your loss is recent or many years ago, whether you have lost a person or a pet, or even if the person you are "mourning" is still alive ("pre-grief" can be a very lonely and confusing time) you can come to this diary and process your grieving in whatever way works for you. Share whatever you need to share. We can't solve each other's problems, but we can be a sounding board and a place of connection.
Please join me over the fold, as I have something to say.
I wrote the very first Grieving Room diary five and a half years ago, ten days after the death of my mother on Good Friday, 2007.
Since that time, my world has changed immeasurably, and yet I have gained a stability I never would have expected. Along the way, I have had new insights that have caused me to really examine my fundamental beliefs about the the world, and the way I spend my time.
I feel very lucky to have read every diary in this series, and I love knowing that I can come back here anytime and find comfort in the wide variety of diaries and comments that have addressed every imaginable kind of loss and experience of grief (not that such a thing is truly possible, for if I have learned anything from this, it is that every loss is unique).
Slowly and inexorably, many of us who were here from the beginning have attained a kind of peace with our grief. We know it will never be gone, but some of us have learned to live with it and find new ways to be happy. Others have grown used to the idea that happiness may not be part of their lives again. New grievers have come and have found comfort here, and many have moved on. And I have developed an inevitable fatigue from being stood up and having to punt late on a Monday evening. These are truths to which I have become resigned.
It has become clear to me that the life of The Grieving Room, as it was envisioned, is coming to a close, and therefore, I am tendering my resignation. I have thought about handing the reins over to a new series administrator so that grieving Kossacks can still have a Monday night refuge, but while that possibility exists, I have a stronger feeling that maybe those needs might be better met by a new organizer with a new series concept altogether. If someone wishes to enter into a discussion with me about this, I am open to it.
So, barring any surprises, as the year draws to a close, so will this place (I know it is a series, but I always think of it as a sacred space). The diaries will stay as long as DailyKos exists, for those willing to look them up and enjoy them. I still would love to see exmearden's TGR diaries edited into a published book, as they are so beautiful. Perhaps her family and Kos will make that a reality some day. I will treasure them always.
I think it is fitting for me to post the final diary on 12/31, but there are a few dates left if anyone has any final thoughts to share. Please, though, if you do speak up for a date, do me the honor of being there and seeing it through. I'd really appreciate that.
Thank you all for being here and being part of the discussion. I credit you all with helping me heal.
Edit: it appears that my hosting schedule did not appear as planned in the tip jar comment. Here it is:
11/26: Gemina13
12/3: michelewln
12/10: laurustina
12/17: OPEN
12/24: OPEN
12/31: Dem in the Heart of Texas
If you would like to speak up for one of the open dates, please PM me. If there are more volunteers than slots, we'll figure something out...