I don't know about you but I never thought about the stress of letting people know bad news. Truly, it took some time for John and I to decide who, when and how to tell people. We are blessed with many friends and family that care deeply for us and wanting them all to know what was happening even though we didn't have a lot of information was important to us.
We had others feelings in mind as we wanted to tell them. We called or talked in person with immediate family and a few friends and then I constructed an e-mail to share the news with the rest of close family and friends. I have to admit that sending an e-mail was much easier. It gave people time to process and formulate their thoughts before talking with us. Telling people in the moment was difficult. We didn't know what they were in the middle of to break such news and each time we needed to put ourselves in their shoes as we told them so that we were sincere as they heard the news for the first time. Having to say it over and over again was numbing to a point. A few times we were consoling them, and that was okay, I was happy to feel what they were feeling in the moment. For me, I could feel their love through that. It was interesting to hear the various responses from everyone. Each person comes from different perspectives, so I was fascinated to experience that.
This whole feelings thing has been a challenge for me for years. The past couple of years, I have been discovering myself with God's help. I am learning to be in relationship with Him and others. I have been learning to identify, express and process my feelings and emotions. He knew what was coming and was preparing me. He has purposefully surrounded me with loving, gracious and caring people to support me during this time. God is so loving!
OK, I am tired now and can't think anymore. I will leave you at this and add more later.
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