One Kind of Hero

This is one kind of hero. There are many others who are
not in such a dangerous line of work, who also risk their lives
to help in recovery efforts. Then there are the quiet heros
who try to bring comfort and understanding to those who
have lost someone dear. Those heros listen, listen, listen,
without judgement, without advice, unless asked, and with
unconditional love.

They are there for us, day or night, always available, and they
make it known to us that we can talk and we can repeat ourselves,
until our grief is spent. They realize that the grief comes in waves and
we may need to be angry, or sad, or overwhelmed all over
again on a different day. They accept all this with grace, never
losing patience. For in their wisdom they know that our lives will
never be the same again because of our loss, we will never be the
same person either, and they wait for us to find ourselves and become
the person we must become to survive the sorrow.

by Donna Coughlan