The Casserole

Yesterday I received a pamphlet in the mail. It was from the Visiting Nurse Service. Their hospice team took care of my mother during her last weeks. They timed the mailing for the month after her passing. They knew that by this time things would be calmer and it would be read. I usually toss these types of booklets directly into the trash, but I read this one. I was glad I did. It was about grieving. It said that grieving begins when the last casserole is finished. It said that grieving begins when the feeling of, "I am so relieved it is over", turns into, "Why did it have to end". That is where my father is stuck. It is the place he must be until he moves to the next phase. He is a strong person and when he is ready, he will enter the next phase easily. We will not push him. He must go at his own speed.