Monday 30 March 2015

Part 2......1. Life Without Jon

I have decided to start a new section to my original blog A Carer's Journey Through Lung Cancer, this is about life without my darling Jon.

In the months following the death of my darling Jon, life has been pretty "shit" pardon my French! November came and went in a total blur of sadness and whirl of sorting everything out. To be honest I can't remember that much about it, other than the deep ache that took up residence in my heart.
December arrived with the daunting prospect of facing Christmas without my best friend, in fact if it had been cancelled I don't think I would have noticed.
I went through the motions, just as well I'd done it before! It really wasn't the same...waking up to Christmas day without the excitement on both our faces of what our gifts to each other would be. Could have been a pair of socks and I'd have still been SO excited!
Our usual bucks fizz in the morning, didn't bother, Christmas lunch wouldn't have happened if my son, his wife and our lovely grandchildren hadn't invited me to share it with them. They helped me through what would have seemed an endless day if I had been alone......there were smiles, those little terrors always manage to make me smile.

After Christmas came the wedding of my eldest son, I really wasn't sure I could do that, and if it wasn't for the encouragement from all of my children, I'm not sure I could have got through it. But I did :) and on the whole it was a lovely lovely day, just once or twice I felt the tears well up, wishing my darling was by my side.

New Year....... yeah right, I was REALLY looking forward to the start of this one....NOT! But another "first" was got through and life started to even out a little.

The thing that sticks out in my mind is, how hard it is to contemplate doing anything at all without my Jon. Things have a hollowness to them now, and the sadness continually creeps up on me when I least expect it. I try to fend it off but most times it doesn't work and I give in to it.....the tears flow and then I can pick myself up and carry on for a while longer.

I hadn't realised how much the last two years had taken out of me, I have found I am incredibly tired, seem to fall victim to any roaming bug that takes a fancy to attacking my system ( open house in Tina's blood stream lol) I guess that happens to anyone who has been through a similar experience.

So, I have recently moved in with my daughter, and though it's only been a couple of weeks it's been a good couple of weeks. So nice to have someone to chat with for a couple of hours in the evening, I found the loneliness of living alone very hard to deal with. So nice to have someone to listen when I have a wobble. And my gorgeous greyhound Tilly is finding that having Harriet dog for company is actually fun............most of the time lol.
So Tilly and me plus Harrie and Donna are starting out a new life together and with their help at some point life may regain some sort of meaning again.
Until then I have my memories, my precious photos and little items that Jon made for me at the hospice day care. Those small gifts bring me so much pleasure, and make me smile when I think of the way he would be after making them......covered in either paint or glitter :)

My love for my darling Jon will never ever fade, in fact funny as it sounds, I love him more and more as time passes. I have the time to remember the real thought that went into everything he did and said for me. We had/have a love that cannot be measured, I was/am so lucky to have known and loved such a wonderful man.....I will always love Jon Roberts and because of  his courage and strength,  I will get stronger, strong enough to carry on and make him proud.