Christmas Day Grief 2025 Strangers Reaction

Coping with bereavement
1

I lost my wife recently in October to stage 4 bone cancer. She had about 2 years from the diagnosis.

I was staying with family in Rochester when on Christmas day sensing that it was going to be emotional, went for a early morning walk to escape those knowing looks

I ended up at Rede Common, sitting on a secluded bench, in absolute despair, head in hands and floods of tears for several minutes.

Unheard of their approach two dog walkers were nearby. They stopped, sat with me and offered me an invitation to their house if I had been on my own. They were so touchingly reassuring. I expected them to have avoided me. Good people still exist

It helped me get through the day when I experienced an all time low

6 Likes
2

Yes, some good kind people. Almost makes me more emotional and then I get embarrassed.

1 Like
3

Thats so heartwarming to hear - i was slightly dreading from the title of your post that it was going to be a tale of someone who lacked any empathy or understanding. How lovely to be proved wrong! :blush:

1 Like