I’d like to think that what I’ve written will be a comfort or will help someone to not feel so alone in grief. Maybe part of my lesson in all of this is to always offer an ear to someone even when I don’t know if they need it and to sort of “check in” on people.

“How are you doing lately…really, I want to know.”

“How are you doing with all this?”

“I’m listening if you want to talk.”

On the flip side of that, I understand how healthy it is to ask others for help sometimes. It isn’t a weakness to need help.

How I wish Cindy had asked for help instead of keeping things to herself.

But a lot of people don’t know how to let themselves be helped and they don’t even know how to ask for help!

I have such a great deal of sadness thinking that I wasn’t able to help Cindy in the way she needed. And I wonder if she had told me what was really going on (if she knew), could I have helped her?

In my experience, most people enjoy helping and if you are able to be in a place to accept it, let them help! Just be honest with yourself and others.

It’s OK to need help at times!

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My Friend
Read an excerpt now
The unsolved mystery of the death of Cindy James