Dear Jack,
I can’t let go. I can’t tell my story without crying. I don’t have anyone who cares or understands.
You must tell your story to someone who will listen compassionately or it will remain trapped inside and you will go over and over the details ad infinitum forever. If you don’t have someone in your life, find a therapist or a chaplain or hospice volunteer to help you through it. There will then eventually come a point where you have healed enough that you must cease telling the story over and over…for the telling of it can become so routine that it actually becomes a part of you and it can be all you identify with. So feel it. Share it. Then, in time, let it go.
Love, Jack
Credits:
About this letter
This letter is part of Jack McAfghan: Letters From Rainbow Bridge. A reader writes that they cannot let go, cannot tell their story without crying, and have no one who cares or understands. Jack's reply is a gentle guide to sharing grief and, in time, letting it ease.
Jack's guidance
Jack advises telling your story to someone who will listen compassionately, because otherwise it can stay trapped inside and replay endlessly. If you do not have someone in your life, he suggests reaching out to a therapist, a chaplain or a hospice volunteer. He also notes that, once you have healed enough, telling the story over and over can become so routine that it becomes all you identify with. His message is simple: feel it, share it, and then, in time, let it go.
Finding someone to talk to
If you are struggling with pet loss, a qualified counselor or a pet loss support line can help. Telling your story to a compassionate listener is not a sign of weakness; it is a healthy part of grieving.
