I’ve come to realize how strong you truly are not because you found it easy to replace me. Your strength isn’t about moving on quickly; it’s about everything you’ve endured long before me.
You’ve faced grief more times than anyone should have to. Emak. Engkong. Loss after loss, arriving one after another in such a short span of time. And yet, months later, you were still able to smile. Not because the pain disappeared, but because you learned how to carry it.
When you chose to leave and continue your life, it exposed something painful in me. It showed how broken I was and how weak I am. Sometimes, we only understand how painful something truly is when we experience even a fraction of it ourselves.
During your grieving period, I now realize how unfair I was. I kept pushing you to be happy again, as if healing could be rushed, as if time could be negotiated. But grief doesn’t work that way. Everything needs time. Space. Patience.
Thank you for teaching me this feeling the feeling of grieving, of loss, of helplessness. I can’t imagine how fragile I would be if I were in your position.
You are strong in a way I am still learning to understand.
Dear you, a truly strong woman.