It is so very odd that we have the terms “widow” and “widower” and we have “orphan,” but we have no term for those who have lost their children. Other than words like the bereft, those who mourn and weep, the wounded….
You may also like
I do not remember when Grandad was first showing signs of illness, I was only a kid, after all. In fact, I […]
Share this:
UPDATE: The video is now up. This is the lecture I gave for the 20th Annual Mark Luchinsky Lecture. I will be posting […]
Share this:
Gently, light and fluffy, the snow is falling. It hasn’t been much, just an inch or two. Mack loved snow, loved to […]
Share this:
We are preparing some of our youth at St. B’s for confirmation and in so doing are working our way through the […]
5 thoughts on “No words”
A haunting quote from Six Feet Under: Brenda: You know what I find interesting? If you lose a spouse, you’re called a widow, or a widower. If you’re a child and you lose your parents, then you’re an orphan. But what’s the word to describe a parent who loses a child? I guess that’s just too f**king awful to even have a name.
I never watched that show Andrew, but I certainly appreciate the sentiments.
I’m not sure one word is big enough to describe losing a child. My heart breaks for you.
You are so right…no words. Also no words for someone who has lost a sibling. As someone who also lost a sibling in a sudden, unexpected, and still hard-to-fathom situation, one of the hardest questions for me to answer is “How many siblings do you have?” in random situations by random strangers. My thoughts are with your daughter and your family.
Regards,
-An older sis that lost her little bro