The valleys I have crawled in and out of since Damien vanished have indeed been the hardest to stay above. However, life has a force that propels you forwards and there isn’t much choice but to keep breathing, move with it or you will perish. Part of me feels frozen in time and it will always be the part needing most care. The part propelled forwards has also brought a lot of joy as well as that lingering sadness.
There can be joy and there can be happiness and even though there is a lingering pain of loss, life does soothe the pain a little. It’s not gone. Life has taught me to deal and heal with it. Never give in and never give up.