All Things Juliet

Coping with Sudden Death of a Child

Death is quite difficult for anyone to face or cope with. It is emotionally overwhelming. The sudden death of someone you love is never easy to accept and deal with. The catastrophic loss exacts both emotional and physical tolls on the people affected by it.

When my two-year old son died in a vehicular accident, a vital and core part of me has been ripped away and died as well. There is an empty place in my heart that could never be filled up knowing that I would never be able to live with or share my love openly with my son, Walter Jared. Walter’s sudden death was an incredibly traumatic event and I was forced to confront an exceedingly painful and stressful paradox. I have to deal with the contradictory burden of wanting to be free of this overwhelming pain yet needing the memories as a reminder of my precious child. I cannot just tie my neck and stop breathing even how badly I need to end the pain. I still need to continue to live our own lives as fully as possible for our two remaining children.

Nothing has prepared me for the enormity or catastrophe of the grief. When grief hits me, I just let my tears flow and feel the intensity of the pain and the longing for my son’s warm embrace and wet kisses. Words are not enough to express how much I miss my son. I am constantly holding on to those precious memories we have shared together to fill the untold emptiness and lighten the deep emotional hurt.

I keep my life very simple and just focus on getting through each day at a time. As I continue my life’s journey, I have great hope that God will provide me the ways to get through my grief and healing will come eventually.

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Let Us Count Our Blessings

As we prepare for the new year, let us take time to look back on the countless marvelous blessings we have lovingly received this year. There are so many things that we should be thankful for this year and while we remember each blessing, we realized just how blessed we are.

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Let Us Potluck This Christmas

Christmas would not be complete without the spirits of gift giving and hearty Christmas feasts. It is a truly happy season where we get to catch up with our family, relatives, and friends at homecoming reunions and Christmas parties. Everyone is typically at our cheeriest and most generous mood and it comes as no surprise that we tend to overspend during the holidays. In these times, we need to find ways to enjoy the high spirits of Christmas without running our pockets dry. So to manage our time and finances better, why not try a potluck Christmas party, where every guest brings a dish? Holding a potluck Christmas party is simple. You may follow these simple guidelines when preparing for potluck parties to ensure that things go smoothly.
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Wishing You a Truly Meaningful Christmas

The special month of loving, sharing and laughing has finally arrived. The Christmas season is here, and with it comes the traditions we always look forward to every year – like decorating the Christmas tree, hanging the lanterns, waking up at dawn to attend Simbang Gabi, watching beautifully decorated homes and making our Christmas wish lists.

Christmas is the season when we become so engrossed with all the preparations to make the holiday even more special for the whole family. We tend to get even busier with the gifts we have to buy and give, office parties, family reunions and the foods we have to prepare for the Noche Buena. Amidst all the flurry of the holiday preparations, we sometimes overlook the real meaning behind all these festivities.
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Christmas Holiday Wish List

Christmas season is fast approaching and people are starting to list their Christmas wishes. My Christmas wish list changes every year and wishes not granted last year remain on my list. Anyhow, these are a few on the list.

For myself:
Most women love to look and feel great. I wish to have an ultimate makeover. Perhaps a hair rebond could improve my crowning glory and an outfit change could help me get rid of my “old-maid” look.

For the whole family:
It has always been our dream to travel and spend the holidays in a place other than home. It is our desire to experience lavishness like Manchester B&B and an overnight stay in a grand hotel. My kids have always wished to go to Ocean Park and they are very vocal about it. It would be the greatest joy of parents to see their children’s dreams come true.

For our home:
“Home is central to one’s life, primarily emotional, and partially physical. It is an environment offering affection and security. Home is a place where a person lives, spends much of her time, or feels generally comfortable with.” Because of these very same reasons, I wish to have a complete set of house furnishings for the living room, bedroom and, most especially, the kitchen and dining room.

Most of my wishes are our ultimate dreams and luxuries we cannot afford yet. Maybe these will stay on the list until next time and we will just keep on dreaming until these become reality. After all, dreams are free.

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