Grief is an inescapable part of our lives. Part of feeling love is feeling loss – it is not something that any of us can change. One man openly displayed his grief, and the description of this display has touched the hearts of countless numbers.
Bobby Moore had been married to his wife, Jerry, for almost 60 years. The two had built a life together, celebrated success and worked through failure. They had spent a life time with each other.
Naturally, when Jerry died, Bobby had a hard time coping with the loss. This woman had been his life partner, his place of comfort, his source of inspiration. He could not hide the grief he felt at her passing.
Seeing how much this event affected Bobby, his family asked that an account of his coping be shared on Facebook. April Yurcevic Shepperd took a photo of the man as he grieved at the funeral, and she drew up a thoughtful recollection of what she saw.
“Today I saw a man, a broken man, standing vigil over his most prized possession. Here was love personified,” the woman began. “When he walked into the room, his steps were faulty, but his determination was undaunted. His eyes were fixed upon his destination at the front of the room. A steel grey casket sat under the colored lights.
Half of its lid was propped open, the closed half held a spray of vivid, mix-matched flowers adorned with ribbons which read the words ‘wife’ and ‘mother.’ Upon approaching and without pause, he leaned down and kissed her painted lips, his frail body trembling to keep upright.
When family began to arrive, he was still sitting there, stroking her hair. ‘She looks good, doesn’t she?’ he would ask.
He sat by her side for five hours until, exhausted and spent, he could sit no longer. In many ways the viewing, wake, or funeral is the easy part. Your loved one is still physically present, and you have family and friends to support you.
But after that, you have to wake up and be brave every single day. I’ve watched my mother do it in the year since my father passed. Like many – maybe like Moore himself, she doesn’t see that even on the hard days she is being brave.”
This heartfelt message has reached thousands of people, as we can all sympathize with the loss of a loved one.
April’s words encourage us to be brave, even as we feel loss. This is definitely an experience in which we are not alone.
If you are suffering a loss, know that our prayers are with you.
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