Tag: loss
Letting go of a best friend isn’t easy
A month ago, my friend sent me an email out of nowhere saying that she no longer wanted to be friends anymore, that this was goodbye.
Why is it so hard finding a spontaneous friend to hang out with?
I never had a lot of close friends when I was younger but I always had a couple, and my best friend was my husband. I also have four children. My husband died two years ago after a bout with cancer (at home) and my children are now grown and live in different areas. Two of my best friends moved to other states and I now have only one friend left, who also moved to another city.
From The Friendship Forums: Is a friend’s response to your loss or serious illness a litmus test of your friendship?
A recent post on The Friendship Forums of this blog expressed the hurt and frustration someone felt when certain friends and colleagues failed to show empathy after he lost his mother to cancer.
Complicated Grief: Having an extremely hard time getting over the death of a spouse
QUESTION Dear Irene, My wife died last May, almost six months ago. We were so devoted to each other that we didn’t need any friends. I don’t go to pubs or clubs and am very much a loner. Now, I seem to be pushing people away in case they want something I’m unable to give [...]
Yikes, an unsettling friendship: Just found out my fiancé’s ex and his sister are friends
QUESTION: Hi Irene, My fiancé and I have been together for five years and are very close to each other’s families. My brother-in-law passed away earlier this week and one of my fiancé’s ex-girlfriends showed up at the funeral home and the funeral to pay her respects. They were together for a substantial period of [...]
Friends: From almost-sisters to almost strangers
QUESTION Dear Irene, My best friend of 18 years always called me "the sister she never had". We live in the same city and used to talk on the phone at least 5 to 10 times a day and got together frequently. About two years ago she and her husband began divorce proceedings. I tried [...]
Grief complicated by the loss of a best friend
QUESTION Dear Irene, My best friend and I had a major falling out 4½ years ago shortly after the death of my two-year-old son. At the time I was so deep in grief and my judgment so impaired that I did not apologize for behavior on my part that led to our breakup. It [...]
Quick Poll and Guest Post: Mixed-Age Facebook Friendships
By Lynn Bozof A strange but very sweet thing is happening. Do Facebook and other social media have anything to do with it? My adult children are now "friending" my friends on Facebook, leading to inter-generational relationships. When I was a young adult, I would have thought it so strange to have a [...]
The most wonderful time of the year? Not for everyone
Think everyone’s feeling jolly this holiday season? Think again. Actually, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s tends to be stressful for many. Some have experienced disappointments, real losses and other life crises over the year. Factor in lack of time and sleep, and the tendency to overspend, overeat, and over-imbibe, and you have a [...]
Friendship by the Book: Giveaway and Q & A with Gail Caldwell
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gail Caldwell’s beautiful book, Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship (Random House, 2010), breaks new ground in allowing readers to understand the depths of a close female friendship and the pain associated with a sudden and untimely loss.
