Just one year ago, this woman tragically lost her husband to an unexpected heart attack, and it flipped her world upside down.
She was devastated, and since suffering the loss, she has held onto some of her husband’s personal effects. For instance, she’s kept his favorite jacket, the wristwatch he wore every day, and some handwritten notes.
She currently stores the items in their shared closet and around the house.
“Not because I’m living in the past, but because they provide me comfort. Those items remind me of him, of our life together, and I’m just not ready to part with them yet,” she said.
“They’re a piece of him that still exists in my world.”
However, when her 31-year-old sister went through a bad breakup a couple of months ago and needed a place to stay, her sister had a lot to say about her husband’s belongings.
At the time, she let her sister move in and figured her sister would respect her space and her grieving process. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
Things started off fine before her sister slowly began making comments, claiming that she was “clinging to memories” when she needed to “move forward” in her life.
“I knew she meant well, but those words stung. What she didn’t understand is that moving on doesn’t mean erasing someone from your life,” she explained.
(JLco) Julia Amaral – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Then, while she was at work last week, her sister did the unthinkable. She arrived home to find out that her sister had gotten rid of her husband’s clothing, his watch, and all of the photos she had from their final vacation together.
Apparently, her sister thought it would be a good idea to “clean out” his stuff in order to help her “heal.”
“I couldn’t believe her audacity,” she revealed.
She immediately kicked her sister out, too. But, in the wake of this situation, some of her family members have actually taken her sister’s side, accusing her of overreacting.
She, on the other hand, can’t get over losing the last tangible pieces of her husband, whom she loves so deeply.
“Letting go of him isn’t something that can be rushed or decided by anyone else,” she vented.
That’s why she is refusing to forgive her sister right now, and she’s been left wondering if it’s really so unreasonable or not.
Does grief have a timeline, or is everyone’s experience different? Was her sister out of line? Should she be able to “move forward” at her own pace?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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