Bamboo Tree

With having a friend recently commit suicide, I keep coming back to writing about it. When you bury someone you expect people to put away the tears and sorrow and move on. But there is no stopwatch on grief, no timetable that says how long you are allowed before you are suppose to move on and put your feelings in a box on the closet shelf. While you eventually move on, don't feel pressured to do so before you're ready. When you lose someone, you will forever feel the pain, but time really does help make the pain to a dull ache or even a distant cavity filled with bittersweet memories. I don't know if the body just needs time to heal or if it is a survival mechanism, knowing we could not survive forever with such raw pain, but it will get better. If you are ever feeling like  that you can't go on because of the pain, then find someone to talk you, to help you back on the right path. Don't you dare give up! Did you know that the bamboo tree, while not always big, can spring back after facing great adversaries, survive devastating storms and still be a beacon of hope and fortune? You are like the bamboo, while you may never be the same, you will be stronger and can survive and even thrive.