K F Olsen

Thank you grandpa. For everything♥️⛪️

Grief

My grandfather died 10.05.2021 at 19:30. He became 90 years old. I was there when he died. I held his hand and told him it would be ok and that he had done enough. When he was lying in bed half asleep and starting to be unconscious, I said to him that he had been the greatest grandfather you could wish for.

So much wisdom and stories of high importance for me as an orphan. The importance of food, saving money for a rainy day, honesty. During his childhood in WW2, food was in shortage, and he had twelve brothers who also needed care. It paints a picture of how it shaped him during his childhood and how it echoed through his life.

During his last breaths, I felt grief and desperation of there is nothing I can do now except accept letting go. My reaction/feeling in all of this was relief, sorrow, gratitude, and I was in awe of my hard-working grandfather. Of what he had accomplished and achieved during his living years—our tight and robust family.

There is no correct way of expressing grief. Some cry, some becomes silent, some gets angry, some can even laugh. For some, the suffering can come days, months or years after the event. If someone doesn’t cry during a funeral, it doesn’t mean they don’t feel or care, especially for children and adolescents. Who hasn’t developed their brain fully and have had a short life.

To have time and loved ones close helps during tough times. Some withdraw, and that is fine. At some point, you have to face the world, and the first step I would recommend is starting with the ones closest and who genuinely care about you—Just my humble advice. I am not a psychologist and don’t have any professional experience on this.

I just wanted to shine some light on some aspects of losing a loved one. Take care out there.

-Knut