Life After Loss: Growing Around the Gaping Hole

Grief has a way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. Tonight, I found myself lost in memories of those early days after my husband, Kingsley, passed away. That period was like walking through a fog so thick, I couldn’t see a way out.

When everyone had understandably gone back to their lives, I was left trying to figure out what mine even was anymore. My life wasn’t just altered, it felt completely broken. I had to go back to doing all the usual things!! parenting, laundry, cleaning but none of it made sense because the center of my world was gone.

I remember how surreal it felt to keep going through the motions with this massive, gaping hole right in the middle of my life. I’d be folding clothes or cooking dinner and thinking, Is this it? How do I even do this now? Sometimes, it felt almost absurd. How could life just… keep going?

But here I am today, and while that hole is still there, my life has grown around it. Kingsley is still gone. I still miss him every single day. But the pain isn’t as sharp, the emptiness not as consuming. My world, though forever changed, feels bigger now.

I share this because I know there’s someone out there who feels like their life has been shattered, and they’re wondering how to put the pieces back together.

To you, I want to say: It won’t always feel this way. The hole will remain, but your life will expand. You’ll laugh again, even when you think you never will. You’ll find joy in small moments. You’ll breathe a little easier as time passes.

Grief doesn’t have a timeline, but it does evolve. It’s okay to take your time. It’s okay to feel broken. But know this: You are not alone, and your life can grow, even around the pain.

Keep going. One small step at a time. You’ve got this.

Let walk away the grief together.

Xo xo Love

Doris King