Dearest Colleen ~ I so appreciate your sharing Sean with us. What a wonderful man he must have been! It hurts me to think he was so tortured a soul to have taken his life, but I'm so grateful he had you for a sister. I thank you for sharing deep parts of YOU too!

Colleen, as was said, grieving takes time, and it is extremely personal. In the last few years, I've lost several very close members of my family, including my husband, granddaughter and mother. Do you know that there are EXTREMELY ignorant people out there who actually say "aren't you over that yet?" Grief take your OWN time, and I don't care if it takes 10 years ~ it's YOUR time. And if you need professional help getting thru it, it's ok. I used a grief counselor, and she helped immensely. I contacted one thru Hospice.

There are 5 stages of grief: Shock, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. You HAVE to go thru these stages in order to heal. Some people manage to skip a stage, but very few. Don't be afraid of them. Boy did I get angry ~ I went into a room, screamed and pounded on pillows. But it helped.

I pray your whole situation is on the rise. And may I say that your ex was a real pig? LOL. Forgive me, but that's what I think. God bless you and my prayers are with you. Peace, Lee