{"id":2710,"date":"2026-07-26T15:35:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T19:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2026-07-26T15:35:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T19:35:49","slug":"peace-love-and-grief-my-other-half","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/?p=2710","title":{"rendered":"Peace, Love, and Grief \u2013 My Other Half"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sun sets at the end of the day.<\/em>
\nThe sky is pink.<\/em>
\nI am reminded of you\u2026 <\/em>
\nAnd I smile.<\/em><\/p>\n

The full moon rises over the trees.<\/em>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0It lights up the world.<\/em>
\nI am reminded of you\u2026<\/em>
\nAnd I smile.<\/em><\/p>\n

The storm rolls in<\/em>
\nWith its dark clouds.<\/em>
\nIt puts on a show for the world.<\/em>
\nI am reminded of you\u2026<\/em>
\nAnd I smile.<\/em><\/p>\n

The waves crash onto the beach.<\/em>
\nThere for a moment,<\/em>
\nAnd then gone again.<\/em>
\nI am reminded of you\u2026<\/em>
\nAnd I smile.<\/em><\/p>\n

All around me life goes on.<\/em>
\nI see you in every flower<\/em>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0And feel you in the stir of the wind.<\/em>
\nYour soul reaches out to me<\/em>
\nTo remember\u2026<\/em>
\nThen, I do\u2026<\/em>
\nAnd I smile.<\/em>
\n~ Linda, Oct 2013<\/p>\n

When Bruce and I first moved out here to this little coastal town in Florida, it was to be by the ocean. From our first conversation, we had bonded over our love for the ocean \u2013 her beauty\u2026 her calm\u2026 her rage \u2013 all of the components that make her so intriguing. We were beyond excited to finally live so close to her.<\/p>\n

Every weekend (weather permitting), you could find us either sitting beachside, boating or kayaking. Just a few hours by the water was our way of restoring our souls and getting grounded for the week ahead.<\/p>\n

After he died, I still spent most weekends doing the same. Eventually, as life started changing, I found myself going out there less and less. After a couple of years, I gave the boat to my grandson. Then, several years later I gave the kayaks to one of my daughters. And while sitting by the beach was still on my list of \u201cfavorite things to do\u201d, my weekends seemed to get fuller and fuller, until my beach time was nonexistent\u2026 And it probably sounds silly, but I could the loss of that precious time in my soul.<\/p>\n

So, this year, I made up my mind to reclaim that time. If my soul was yearning for some time by the sea, then it was up to me to reclaim it\u2026 to make time for it\u2026 to just do it. Now I am out there several times a month, letting the gentle rhythm of the tide and the warmth of the sun do their magic.<\/p>\n

It has been amazing<\/strong>! How in the world did I let this slip away for so long? I not only love<\/strong> being out there, but because Bruce\u2019s ashes were scattered offshore, it feels a bit like I am also spending time with him\u2026 something I will never<\/strong> get tired of doing. Sometimes, when my eyes are closed and I am taking in the beach with my other senses, I can almost feel him next to me\u2026 and my soul comes alive. Sitting there, I am reminded of all the things that went into our relationship… all of the magic that comes when you find your ‘other half’.<\/p>\n

In my readings this week, I came across a passage about finding our soul mates\u2026 our other half, and how hard finding that person can be. How true! It took Bruce and I over 40 years to find each other\u2026 Yet, once we did, neither of us had any doubts\u2026 We knew we belonged together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mate that will walk with us through all of the up and down cycles of life and will be our trusted companion is often hard to find. My elders called this special person the other half, or the split apart.<\/em>\u201d ~ Jamie Sams, Earth Medicine<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

However, there was more\u2026 You see, \u201cour song\u201d was \u2018God Bless the Broken Road<\/strong><\/em>\u2019 by Rascal Flats. In the song, the lyrics say,
\n\u201cThat every long-lost dream led me to where you are<\/em>
\nOthers who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars<\/em>
\nPointing me on my way into your loving arms<\/em>
\nThis much I know is true<\/em>
\nThat God blessed the broken road<\/em>
\nThat led me straight to you\u201d<\/em>
\n(Copyright 2005, Lyric Street Records, Inc)<\/p>\n

Bruce always believed that. He never talked badly about his ex or past relationships. He was open and honest and candid about what happened, what went wrong, and what he owned in all of that. However, there was never any anger or bitterness. Just a recognition of \u201cthis is what happened\u201d and \u201cthis is what I learned\u201d which is \u201chow I got here with you\u201d.<\/p>\n

I learned a LOT from that.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery relationship teaches us about ourselves if we have the courage to look within, to see how we can learn from others, and how we can heal the parts of our personalities that struggle against union or unity.<\/em>\u201d ~ Jamie Sams, Earth Medicine<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

While my previous marriage was a bit dark, following Bruce\u2019s example through the years, I have learned to recognize the lessons I learned and the strength I gained. Even in more previous relationships, both good and difficult, I have learned to see the things I gained by knowing that person. (Let’s be honest, though. Sometimes, I need a little bit of time and distance to get there, but eventually I make it.)<\/p>\n

Bruce never actually spelled it out, he just lived it, and I will always be thankful for this aspect of our relationship. Because of him\u2026 because of my ‘other half’, I have learned to appreciate all<\/strong> of the relationships in my life\u2026 all<\/strong>\u00a0of the lessons learned\u2026 all<\/strong>\u00a0of the smiles and all<\/strong> of the tears. Without every single one of them, I would still be the same person I used to be\u2026 rather than becoming the person I am meant to be.
\n____________________________________________________
\nGrief is a daily challenge that changes us in ways we could never foresee, making this journey a difficult path for anyone. That is why I share the mistakes I have made, as well as what I have felt and learned along the way. Even sharing our stories of love and life can be helpful on this journey. We know learning to function on this new path is hard, and it is easy to lose our way or forget that we don\u2019t have to do it alone.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think any of us chose to be here\u2026 I know I didn\u2019t. Yet, this is where life has landed us for now\u2026 This is where we are. Our lives are now filled with challenges we never imagined and emotions that feel overwhelming at times. So often, I think I have it all figured out, only to find that isn\u2019t true at all. Despite the years since Bruce passed, my life is still filled with challenges, as I am sure yours is too. Learning to take it one day\/moment at a time is all any of us can do.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, I know I am not alone\u2026 None of us are\u2026 We have each other. It is our love for those we have lost that brings us together into this space where we can share our experiences. I believe the sharing of our stories is so important\u2026 I believe it is healing. Do you have a story to tell? I believe we can find courage and strength in one another\u2019s stories. I believe we can offer each other empathy when we open our hearts to one another. I don\u2019t know about you, but it makes me feel better knowing there are others out there who understand what I mean, and what I feel. It\u2019s nice to know I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n

Maybe this strikes a chord with you too. We would all love to hear your thoughts or your story. If you would like to share your experience or if you need a helping hand or maybe a virtual hug, let us know. We are here for you\u2026 This is our community. To share your thoughts and experiences go to the comments and leave your message.*<\/p>\n

This is a weekly blog; for daily affirmations we have a Facebook page of the same name. Join us daily at www.facebook.com\/peaceloveandgrief
\n* Be advised that all comments are subject to approval prior to posting. Any comments determined to be spam or not in accordance with the mission of this website\/blog will not be approved or posted. Furthermore, any comments determined to be hostile in nature will be reported to the proper authorities. Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sun sets at the end of the day. The sky is pink. I am reminded of you\u2026 And I smile. The full moon rises over the trees. \u00a0 \u00a0It lights up the world. I am reminded of you\u2026 And I smile. The storm rolls in With its dark clouds. It puts on a show … Continue reading Peace, Love, and Grief \u2013 My Other Half<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,96,111,353,13,6,15,72,1541,1539,5,1538,1540,32,91],"class_list":["post-2710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-grief","tag-grief-journey","tag-grieve","tag-lessons-learned","tag-loss","tag-love","tag-mourn","tag-mourner","tag-northern-stars","tag-other-half","tag-peace","tag-soul-mate","tag-split-apart","tag-widow","tag-widower"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2710"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2715,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710\/revisions\/2715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceloveandgrief.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}