A great loss, what is it? Is it 9-11? A Tsunami that kills thousands? The Holocaust, which killed millions? As mind-boggling as these are, they are not “up close and personal.” A great loss is when one loses a parent, spouse, child or close friend. Their memory will live on with you, but your everyday interaction will not. The loss of your spouse, best friend, lover and confidant is a “Great Loss.”When it happened to me, it created a big emptiness in my life. I experienced emotions that I had never felt prior to that “Great Loss.” Despair, loneliness and anger appeared first, and then a feeling of having no direction; then a reality that if I was going to continue to live, I must find a new purpose. My life was never going to be the same, and only I could control what would lie ahead.
I realized that my “Great Loss” was unique to me. People before me and many more to come would experience their own personal “Great Loss.” My life since that “Day” has taught me that we are not really prepared to help others with their “Great Loss” until we can learn from our own.
My life is full and rich, and I have no regrets. I have learned more about life, people, and myself since my “Great Loss” and have been able to be of comfort to others who are now experiencing their “Great Loss.”
Mannon Kaplan is the managing partner of Miller, Kaplan, Arase & Co., LLP. www.millerkaplan.com
