Tuesday, April 29, 2008

if wishes came true


I overheard Olivia wishing on a fallen eyelash yesterday, "I wish my Daddy would come back."


I tried to get her to 'tell' me the wish so I could talk about it with her...the fact that he is never coming back. But she insisted that if she told me, then her wish wouldn't come true.


I so wish he would come home too. I sometimes fantasize about it. I imagine that I can hear the roar of his truck and the thump of his boots on the front steps. I hear him slam the door and laughingly bellow, "Honey, I'm HOOOOoooome...." I launch myself at him and he embraces me while I bury my face in his chest. I laugh and cry and tell him that I love him so very much (We used to say, "I love you the whole pie!") and that I am sorry for not saying so when we were arguing and that I'm sorry for not picking him up from the boat a few days earlier and that I have missed him so immensely that I sometimes think I'll never recover from this terrible nightmare.


I've started seeing a therapist...actually, it's a therapist that Liv will start seeing next week but I went to talk to her. She does play therapy, art therapy and has a therapy dog. I think this is the ideal situation for Liv as she is not one, most of the time, to just sit and talk about how she's feeling...Hell, she's five. What five year old can articulate how they're feeling the majority of the time?

Anyhow, I was trying to put into words how I feel much of the time so the therapist could get an understanding of my state of mind. The analogy that I came up with it that I feel like a toothpaste tube. I am so full of all this sadness, angry, frustration and fear but I only have this small neck and opening to squish it all out of. When I cry, it hurts so physically and painfully but gives me virtually no relief. It's plugged or stuck and I can feel this giant amorphous blob of pain just fermenting inside and I CANNOT get it out....Maybe a ping pong ball stuck in a water pipe would have been a better analogy. Some water can seep around the ball but the majority of it is pushing the ball further and further into the pipe.....I hope this all makes sense....Who knows anymore?

4 comments:

Victoria said...

I think that's a wonderful analogy, even though I have no similar experience in terms of loss, I can completely relate to the feeling you speak of. I hope the lady you're seeing is someone you can open up with, that the relationship can be good for both you girls.

You may not feel amazing, but from the little I "see" of you, your love would be proud of the way you're holding your life and your children together. To me the simple routine of actually getting up every day would be challenge enough.

Anonymous said...

Play therapy is wonderful. My son receives it b/c he was molested by an older neighbor child. It's great for the reasons you listed - children that young just cannot put into words all that goes on in their heads. I am continually amazed at what my son's therapist can "get" just from his play. It's really amazing and has made such a difference for our son. I hope it helps Olivia, too.

Anonymous said...

Dear Jackie,

Wonderful analogy -- helps me to understand what you are going through. Keep on.

Nancy

said...

Jackie,
This is my first time visiting your blog, and I want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I lost my cousin--who was like my sister--to the same thing a few years ago, and it was such a shocking loss. I am only now being able to even talk about it. I will keep sending light and prayers your way.
Noelle