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My husband died today

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@Sighs, thanks for the suggestion, we were offered cremation jewelry at the funeral home but at the time I thought it was kind of morbid. I am actually kind of thankful that his mother has STILL not made any arrangements to come pick up her share of his ashes because the thought of "splitting him" just makes me uneasy. Right now, he's whole in two separate containers but at least in my mind, he's all here. I think most of this has to do with the fact that going to my sister's house is a huge reminder of the day he died, I still have not fully come to terms with his death, that is going to take me a very long time.

I posted on fb about how I worry about him - when he was alive I worried about him, now that he's dead, that hasn't changed. I worry about stupid things like, is he lonely, is he afraid, is he angry etc. etc. I also worry a lot that he's angry with himself for succeeding in dying when perhaps he didn't actually mean too. You know, the does he regret doing it question that can never be answered. Anyway, I had people telling me that he's with loved ones, he's not in pain anymore, he's happy and being looked after, he's with me in my heart. I think the worst was saying that they've lost loved ones too and essentially get on with my life.

No one can tell me where he is right now. I think that is completely ridiculous to speak like you actually know for sure where he is and what he's doing. No one knows, I don't, no one will ever know until they die what actually happens to us. I know that losing a parent is tragic and circumstances can impact how deeply that affects people, but I've lost two parents too and I know that this loss is different. It feels so inexplicably different this time...more than bloody likely because I was never intimate with either of my parents and the love I gave to them was not In Love it was just Love. I've lost a brother, even though his death was shocking and numbingly tragic, this still feels different. I've also lost four cousins to suicide, an additional three to drowning, four uncles and four aunts to various illnesses, both of my grandparents AND I lost a friend to suicide, and now my husband, so I'm sorry if you think your few "previous losses" equate to this and I should just snap out of it because you did!!! Holy, Grrrrrr!!! Is it just me but was that comment unbelievably insensitive to what I'm trying to deal with here? Am I just blinded by my grief and misinterpreting? Grab the bull by the horns and start living my life!??? Holy F!
I almost blew a gasket when I read that.

It's a little obvious that the person who wrote it has never lost the love of their life and no, mommy and daddy do not count, even sons and daughters of suicides agree that the relationship and the grief are different from losing a spouse to suicide. I read the account of one poor woman who not only lost her mother to suicide when she was a teen but also ended up losing her husband and one daughter to suicide. Stories like that just make me wonder, what in hell is wrong with the universe that some people have to face that much tragedy in their time here on earth!? I'm coming to believe the saying about life on earth actually being the proverbial hell that we must march through.

Three and a half months. Some days I just want to die. Other days I can't picture myself not in the world. Sometimes I'm good and can laugh and carry on like nothing has changed in my life but other times I feel like I'm dragging around a weight that I can't let go of. He is never far from my mind. Never.

Sister and I came out of a store today and there was a construction guy standing nearby working on a paving crew. He looked up at us as we were passing him and I swore it was the medic that was at the scene of my husband's suicide. I was so shocked my mouth almost fell open. Oddly he looked at me as though he also recognized me and he said, "Hi". I couldn't think. I just looked down at the ground in front of me and tried not to burst into tears. I just wanted to start screaming again. I could feel the words bubbling up my throat trying to break free, "He's not dead! Someone tell me he's not dead! Please, I need somebody!" I had to swallow hard and I almost walked right off a curb. My sister took no notice of anything, just kept babbling on about whatever she was going on about. She wondered what was wrong with me when we got to the vehicle - guess I must have looked like I'd seen a ghost.

We spent that day at the beach. As we were walking she said that she sometimes still thinks that he's just away somewhere and that they got it wrong, he didn't actually die. (Makes me wonder if she's somehow reading this.) I looked up and "saw him" coming down the beach toward us. I said, "Oh, did you think that was him too?" There was an older gentleman coming down the beach with a brown jacket, tan baseball cap and tan pants on - dressed exactly how my hubby used to dress.

I do hold onto that delusion too though, so it must be a common thing to think that somehow someway a huge inexplicable mistake was made and he's not dead, he's just gone somewhere and no one is allowed to say where or is even really aware that he's gone. I keep thinking that he got that dream job he was always wishing for - covert operations where he'd have to cease to exist in the world so that he could be deep undercover. Sadly, he applied to a company years ago, I remember him talking about it and all excited but saying he'd never do it because he'd have to leave me and he wouldn't be able to contact me. If only, right?

I touched his finger, it was colder than an ice cube. He was death personified. His entire body was a block of ice and felt like a lead brick. It's odd, I didn't pick him up or anything but that was the sensation I got when I accidentally touched his finger - lead, heavy. How can you feel heavy or lead? But that is exactly what came to mind. Heavy. Lead. It wasn't him anymore, it was a good facsimile but it was not him. There was no life there. There was no "him" even though his face looked so much like he could just start shaking and laughing at me, he couldn't. The HE I knew wasn't there.

No one can tell me where he is or isn't. I can't feel him and this is very disturbing to me. Will I ever be able to feel / sense him? I do when I'm at the park, it's like he's standing behind me watching my back just like he used too but other than when I'm in bed, I get no "sense" of him anywhere else with me. I want to feel him with me wherever I go. I want to know he's with me but I can never KNOW for sure.

I can feel him hold my hand in my dreams. It feels real and then I wake up and I'm sad. I think I shed tears every morning. I can never have him back. He killed himself, whether he meant too or not, he did. I can't change that. He can't change that. This is just how it has to be now.

I don't like how it is now. I'm with people and I'm lonely. I miss him.
 
I keep my sons and my husbands ashes in my bedroom and I do not know where to scatter the ashes so I just keep them around still. I too have lost so many in my life and the death, a suicide has so much emotional grief that is so complicated and almost impossible to bear at times but life does go on in spite of how we feel and the ones around us who do not comprehend where you are in mourning such an incredible loss just do not get thus it can make it that much harder for you. It is a baptism of fire everyday for such a long time. I am so relieved that you can write it all down here. butterfly3.PNG
 
Yesterday was a very hard day for me, so thank you for your words, @gizmo. I woke up severely grumpy, I can't figure out why I was just so darn grumpy. I know I woke up and had moved my hubby's shirt at some point during the night and almost cried because I was afraid I'd "wiped his scent off" of it somehow. So I was mad at me and worried about his shirt but I was easily annoyed with everything - my sister included.

I used to get a lot of those days when I was under stress. Hubby would just walk around with his head down because I was such a b*tch. I'd snap at him for every little thing. If he didn't want to drive to go somewhere I'd make it into a big production, not being able to find my keys, forgetting where I put them as soon as I had them, loudly sighing and slamming things around. I never knew why I was always so mad. I know now, it's because some days are just bad memory days and when I have extra stuff loaded on me on those days I lose it really quick and have to struggle just to stay functioning. Those are the days I hate driving because my head is not in the game.

What really triggered me yesterday was having to pay the bills. With my sister here I've spent over 800 dollars and that's NOT including the bills I've had to pay. Groceries. Going out on my birthday. Fuel, Fuel and more Fuel to drive us around and do all these things she wants to do. All the while, she has a job and it doesn't matter how much I say that my money is NON-RENEWABLE she still does things like add extra groceries in the cart that she wants - then walks away when it comes time to pay. I just wanted to scream and throw a hissy fit but instead I just offhandedly in conversation mentioned how much money I've spent over a two week period so she says, "Well, you gave me $500...." as if to say that this is somehow going to make it seem better - I hadn't included the Thousand dollars I gave her (not five hundred!) so I just said, "Oh yeah, right. So that means in two weeks, I've spent over $1800 and that's NOT including the bills I've had to pay, not to mention I now have to get a new roof!!!

After paying off the mortgage, I have $40G to live on for the rest of my life and I am NOT OLD!!! She has a job for crying out loud!!! I can't do this anymore, if all I am is a dollar sign to people, then they can take it all, I don't give a crap.

She starts crying. She doesn't say anything to me, so there is no argument, she just starts wiping her f'ing eyes and stomping around and then goes up to the bedroom. So there I am lying on the couch thinking about how horrible a person i am that I make people cry and hate me.....I make people hurt so badly that they would rather go away from me....I make people hurt so badly that they would rather die than to continue living with me!!!!!!

So yes, yesterday I gave serious consideration to ending my life. Why? Because then my sister would never have to put up with me being a b@tch to her ever again, she could have all the money and spend it however she wanted and I would never have to worry about it ever again. I would have no more worries. No more pain. No more loneliness. No more wishing I had friends who cared about me. No More Anything. And I could be with my Tinny again.

I wrote a note.

I realized I haven't finalized my Will yet. I said, aww, hell who really cares, Tin didn't think that far ahead. I went up to my bedroom, I closed the door. I took three sleeping pills and I drank a beer. I was out in about 10-minutes. Just a note for future, the aldosterone effects of beer suck!! I was awake every half hour going pee to get rid of the beer. F@ck with a capital F. The sleeping pills did shite until the beer was out of my system, then I fell asleep and I was out for 18 hours....my sister didn't check on me, she didn't get concerned and today, not a word about it being unusual at all.

Bam. That is how easy it is to "slip through the cracks".

I am hurting people. I hurt people. I couldn't be there emotionally for her to calm her down when she was crying and she was being all like my husband, stomping around, silent, leaving the room, I just wanted to SCREAM at her to show some f'ing emotion, scream and wail and whatever just don't SHUT DOWN like he used too!!! It's called HIDDEN DEPRESSION!! Get yourself some f'ing help!!!!!!

He used to do that. He used to just give me the silent treatment and I'd do it right back to him. He used to get me so wound up that I'd just struggle to keep myself from screaming at him but what does screaming at him do? It just hurts him and he's being a dink because he wants to hurt - nope, not gonna be my fault!! So I'd give him the silent treatment. That night, he was being sad and I could not be there for him. I could not pull him out of it and make him better. By not being able to go to him, I was hurting him more inside. I was deepening those "No one Love Me" thoughts that you get when you want to die. I can just hear him screaming in his head, "Just PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE JUST LOVE ME, I NEED YOU." but we're all too ashamed to say those things out loud when we're standing on that precipice. He never said it. He never reached for me. He put up this wall and that wall annoyed the living shit out of me and I got angry at him.

And when he died, I was angry with him.

What kind of a shitty person am I? I just make people hurt. I was thinking about my future and the potential for me to find another person, maybe it's best if I never bother to look - why would I put someone else through that crap of my being so moody and unable to explain why. Unable to say to someone - this is not your fault, I'm the b*tch, I'm the one with the problem who can't control the PTSD or even understand why I'm being triggered in this way.

I'm better off living alone. I can't destroy another person like I destroyed him. I couldn't live with that.

I want to be loved again but at what cost to the person trying to love me?

We went to a friends farm today. I fished in their pond. I walked through their fields. I stopped and looked around and thought, "This is it. This is the life we dreamed of having together. This field. This pond. Those fish. This serenity. This is what he wanted for us....this is what we'll never have." We always dreamed of having that together. I can never have that on my own.

Did I really say the other day that my sister can move in with me in 5 years when she takes early retirement??? What was I thinking !!!???

God, please, life has to get better for me. Please give me the strength to just keep holding on. Please.
 
Everything is about him.

I take out the lawn mower, I think about how he'd always harp on me for not cutting the front lawn.
I trip over weeds growing through the patio stones and I think about how we were going to fix that this summer.
I start planting my garden and I think about the enclosed beds he was going to make me.
I feel a pull in my lower back when I stand up and I think about how he was always in pain.
My sister makes roast beef and I think about how much he used to love my prime rib dinners.
We add wild leeks to the roast dinner and I think, "He'll never know what these taste like."

I've got pain in my ribs on the left side of my back - that's what was bothering him so much before he died.

What happened to you husband? What happened to the clear headed voice of reason that I used to rely on so much? What happened to all of the knowledge that you carried with you? It really makes you think, we do all this studying to better ourselves, for what purpose? None of it enriches our lives or makes us better people; I mean, what use is it to know about ancient Rome and the way of the Spartans? When it all comes down to it, all of that means nothing in the face of death. None of that served to better his life in any way and after he died, it all went with him.

What legacy did my husband leave? I know he designed the crest for the service we started but that crest will probably be changed, no one will care who he was or what he contributed to that service. His reputation? Countless medics who aspire to be the medic he was? He was more than just a medic.

I gave him no children. His name ends there. His middle name was the last in a long family line that came before him and since his brother didn't use that name with any of his children, that family line ends there.

I haven't lain on the floor in front of the tv since he died. I want too but I am afraid for some reason. That was the night before he died. We laid on that floor, me trying to make him smile, rubbing his back trying to comfort him and him lost in pain, lost in overwhelming sadness.

"I'm so very sad."

I know Tin. I know how that feels. I've been to that very overwhelming sadness so many times in my short time here. I know there's nothing that can make it instantly better, you just have to ride it out. You forgot to surf it, Tin. You forgot to surf it. The wave always comes back up. It always does, even if it only comes partway back up, it still comes up.

Nothing ever seemed to go right for us. Nothing, The world was always against us. I know. I feel it too. I mean, hell, when they gave you your exemplary service medal and the framed picture presentation from our service, it was not lost on you that they did a half-assed job on your framed picture but made sure the other two "old boys" pictures were done properly. You always felt like the odd man out, It didn't matter how hard you worked, how above reproach you were, you always felt they were working against you. I saw it too. I never understood it.

When I was being dragged through hell on earth, you saw it from my perspective too. You saw how badly I was being treated, you reassured me I wasn't just seeing things that weren't true. Life just did not want us to get ahead and we never understood why.

I know, Tin. My sweet, sweet, loving husband. My love. My universe. I know how hard this life was because I was living it with you and I am still living it. I know how it feels to know that nothing ever seems to turn out okay. I know and by knowing it means that I too suffer from the same depression that lived inside of you. THAT is why we were so suited to one another, why we understood each other so well, why we were "always in each others heads". Neither of us recognized it. Neither of us knew how truly sad our souls were.

Your soul was sad. That is a sadness that no one can cure. That was our lot in life, Tin. We just had to ride it out, it wasn't all bad all the time. I made you smile. You made me smile. You made my heart go pitter pat every single day and the love I felt for you was beyond anything I'd ever known in my life.

You are still my everything. You are still all I ever think of. You are still part of me.

I miss you, husband. I miss you beyond words.
 
My husband's old partner from work came to visit today, such a sweetie this guy, he brought me and my sister two tomato plants and not just little cell pack tomatoes, like huge thick stalked plants with small tomatoes on them already. I was blown away. I was very touched. If I could have shed a tear I would have but I didn't want sad to invade this visit.

I haven't seen him in so long, that is, apart from the very brief period I saw him at the funeral. It had to be at least 9 years since I'd seen him, he was a newbie and was assigned to work with me one day and I remember thinking to myself, "this guy is such a sweetie, what is he doing in this job?" We sat and talked for hours, there were smiles and laughter and fond memories of my hubby. I talked of camping trips, camping disasters, hiking trips, fishing trips and just our love of being outdoors. His partner shared his own stories of his adventures in the outdoors, things that he and hubby used to do or talk about. It was just so nice to have someone here to just reminisce about him and not feel like I was "dwelling on the past". It was very cathartic and uplifting for me to be able to share his stories with someone, even though I'm sure his partner has already heard the stories a zillion times from hubby.

I felt very good after he left here. I kept thinking of those big tomato plants and what a touching gesture it was - my hubby loved garden fresh tomatoes. Even right now, I just want to cry because seeing those plants makes me think of him, they make me think of how I now have something to care for, to keep alive. I don't think I could abandon those beautiful plants. I wanted to hug that man so hard and just not let go.

I laid on the floor in front of the tv tonight. I laid down there because my sister wanted to lie down on the couch, so I moved to the floor and as I was lying there I remembered how it felt that night to be behind him, holding him, rubbing his back, being close to him. I remembered the many times we'd lain there together, holding one another. I closed my eyes and I wished I could have that night to just do over again. Just hold him tight and refuse to let go. I remembered vividly how it felt to hold him, it was like I had my arms wrapped around him again. I could smell his hair. I cried. I laid there on the floor crying because I wanted it to be real. I wanted to smell his hair for real and just put my face in it. I wanted to whisper in his ear just how much I love him.

This was a big step for me. I'm going to do it again tomorrow after my sister leaves because I didn't want to scare her with how hard I really wanted to cry. I didn't think she would understand. It's going to be four months soon...the end of this week? Four months already. Time is passing too quickly. I just want it to slow down. I don't want to be too far away from him.

I love him. I could never really feel that sometimes. Sometimes I would just look at him and it would be like looking at cardboard, there was nothing to feel and I hated that, i hated that I could not feel what I knew I should have felt; what I knew I had inside of me lost somewhere floating where I couldn't touch it. I feel it now in a different way, in a sad and very deep soul touching way. I love him so very much and miss him so very much.

I didn't speak of his death or mention it at all today to his old partner. I didn't want to be sad. I wanted to feel joy. I wanted to celebrate him in some way and sitting here with his partner, talking about adventures and joyful times, that was just what I needed. Just so what I needed. The sadness deep in me wasn't completely erased but for a very brief moment it was pushed aside and I could actually feel happy - especially looking at those luscious plants. I don't know what that is...Life? Purpose? Something about them just gets me somewhere deep inside me. I can't really describe it. I felt like a mother looking at her children. I wanted to sing to them and pamper them almost immediately.

I had a good day today. I smiled and laughed today. I remembered him today. We honored his memory today. I hope we can do it again soon.
 
I thought of something I can share with my husband's old partner today, my husband bought a new wide brimmed hat last summer, he'd only worn it a few times. It would look perfect on his partner as he tends his garden and rides his tractor. That hat was on the backseat of my vehicle the day he died, it was all I was focused on as I held onto that vehicle for dear life that day. I kept seeing that hat there and I swore to myself that his hat would never leave it's place in my vehicle, but since it's almost been crushed a few times already and that would send me over the edge, I brought it inside the house. It sits at the front door. I look at it and all I think of is that day - I can't picture him in it, I only picture that day, screaming and staring intently at his hat while my head swirled and swirled and I felt like I would go completely insane.

I had wanted to give it to his brother, but since I haven't seen them since the funeral - just like the wedding all over again with those ones - that will likely never happen. I had thought about giving it to one of my brothers, but again, they didn't know him that well and it just seems wrong to give his stuff to them...he was mine, not theirs. He seemed to like his partner at first, I know the more stressed he got the more he found fault with the guy but that was stress, it wasn't hatred or betrayal, it was just his inability to cope with the changes occurring between them. I think if he comes back for a visit again soon, I will ask him if he'd like his hat.

I got invited to dinner on Friday to my buddy and his girlfriend's place; I'm referring to her as his wife because I've known of her for almost four months now and I'm assuming they've been living together a lot longer than that, so yeah, he's essentially married. Hubby called me his wife after two months of living together, it made me a bit uncomfortable at first but then one night I said, "You refer to me as your wife? We're not married." and he said, "Well, I'm not planning on leaving and if you're not planning on leaving, then I guess we're married." So yeah, we were technically married 20 years ago. I didn't plan on leaving. I know he didn't plan on leaving - with the confused mess of paperwork and loose ends, he did not plan his leaving at all.

Oh and my sister decided to stay another night, so tomorrow evening I have to begin the slow acclimatization again to being alone in the house. I know at first it's going to be great, but the shine will wear off of that pretty quick when I realize I have no one to talk too or laugh with and the silence will get deafening. I think I may talk to "him" tomorrow night and do some writing - serious writing. I haven't written a word in weeks. I think it's because I've been so focused on just surviving my days. Taking those breaks where I allow myself to not have any pressure on me to perform and just calm myself.

I also have a phone session with my therapist on Friday and then dinner that evening and on Sunday an old university friend and her wife are coming up to take me out for lunch. So this time, I won't be so completely alone and I think this breaking it up into chunks of alone time is better. I know my old partner from work said that she has Mondays and Thursdays free if I wanted to do coffee meetups or something. Once I'm on my own I just have to combat the anxiety that keeps stopping me from doing these things with people. My buddy was actually pretty good because he texted me and asked if I was still okay to come to dinner, it may just be me interpreting that, but it felt to me like he was considering my "situation" and coping ability in asking - I think it's just me reading into it.

I want things to get better. I want to have a purpose. I want to take a writing course. I want to start over.

Of course, that is today while I am supported and not alone. I'm talking brave, when the loneliness hits hard again, I'll try to remember those words.

I still miss him every second of every day and hate waking up because I have to leave him in my dreams. I wish I could just pull him out of those dreams and keep him with me.
 
I think that it is a very healthy choice for you to break the loneliness in doses and thus breaking up the week and I am so happy that you are socializing no matter how difficult it is for you right now I think.

I understand the loneliness when people leave. I wish you could stay over at someones house for a day or two to get you out of your house and away from the loneliness of being so alone right now.

I think writing will be a very good thing for you. It is a great way to measure your healing process I think.

I keep the tv on for white noise and the sounds of human voices comfort me. I hope that you will find something like this for yourself as well no matter what you choose it will work for you.

If I stay home too much I tend to go into my head and that is the worst. Pace yourself on projects as well. Make sure you keep eating self care and getting enough rest and sleep okay.:hug:
 
@Sighs I have a pet right now, our beta fish is four years old, he's essentially become background "noise". He's not very interactive, he makes no sound and this is likely why he's become more a piece of furniture. I was only thinking a dog because it would give me reason to leave my house and set up a structured day for me, not only that, he would allow me to venture further out of my comfort zone by allowing me to go on hikes I wouldn't otherwise go on...the hikes I used to take with my husband. Also, a dog is physical comfort too which is what I am dying for right now, that being said, the physical comfort aspect can also come from a cat, but cats aren't avid hikers.

My sister left today and I came inside, closed the door and broke up crying. I held it together nicely as she was leaving, didn't let on that I was in any way sad about it but the second her car drove off and the silence of the house overtook me again, I was in tears. It's really tough to acclimatize to that leaving aspect. I think it's a trigger to the funeral and his death - I hate saying goodbye, I hate watching people leave me. He left me. He didn't say goodbye, he just drove off and died.

I'm feeling like I'm going to cocoon again. I'm afraid of the thought of going to dinner in the city with my buddy and his wife. I'm fearing the drive there, I'm fearing the traffic, I'm fearing the possibility of getting lost, not knowing where to park, not being comfortable there etc. etc. I don't know how to make this easy on myself. I just keep telling myself, I'm not there yet, so there's no use in worrying. Why can't people just come to me? Or better yet, meet me halfway. I find it terrifying doing things on my own.

I'm very anxious tonight and in desperate need of some self soothing. I'm thinking of him a lot. I'm going over his death again and wondering how it could have happened to him. It just was so out of character for him. How could I have not known he was depressed? How could I have not known he, the happy smiling guy I knew could have it in him to kill himself? I mean, if he can do it, then anyone can and we can never really trust anyone can we?

Was he always hiding a depression? That guy that tickled me at least a few times every week. That guy who in all of our marriage never seriously talked about wanting to commit suicide, but was more than happy to express his opinions on it and how it was short-sighted. If we talked about suicide it was jokes but sometimes it was serious because I was struggling. It was not a taboo topic but he openly admitted that sometimes I scared him and I remember him once saying that I was never to hurt myself like that....and then he did....it makes no sense. This is the same guy who did doggy humps on my leg just the day before his crisis because he said he was happy to start his week off. This was the same guy who bought a huge package of pork chops, ribs and jugs of washer fluid that Friday in preparation for that week off. How could he just up and die? How could he be smiling in the morning as he left, give me kisses and then come home completely destroyed and contemplating ending his life? How is any of that possible?

Uggh. It just makes me so angry. It just makes me so sad. It just makes me wish I could go back and change the course of the events over those two days.

Where is my smiling, silly man gone? Why does he have to be gone from me? What did I do to deserve this to happen to me? What did I miss? Why can't my life just work out? Why couldn't OUR life just work out???? Arrrrgh, Universe !!!! How dare you take him from me! How dare you!!!
 
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