These imagined conversations are my way of ploughing through the grief of losing my wonderful husband to pneumonia last year. I am not going mad and I am not delusional; I just miss talking to Anthony, so I decided to imagine the conversations we might have….
Me: It was our 25th wedding anniversary last month.
Anthony: I know, Jules, I know.
Me: I went to a grief workshop that night and told the others that it was our 25th wedding anniversary and J (remember J?) congratulated me/us.
Anthony: J? The fair-haired woman?
Me: Oh, sorry, Ants, I forgot that she only met you after you were dead. J is/was so kind and I am amazed that your funeral parlour hosts such wonderful workshops for people like me, who are struggling with their grief.
Anthony: Nothing like this was in my mind, Jules, when we got married. My only hesitation was due to the age gap; I didn’t know I was going to get sick and old at the same time.
Me: I didn’t know either, Ants. I was prepared for you getting old before me but I wasn’t prepared for all of your illnesses.
Anthony: Sorry, Jules.
Me: Not your fault, Ants. Somebody said to me the other day that it must be a relief that you died and I felt as if I had been punched. It was a well-meaning comment but it made me think about how much the fact that you had Dementia precluded people from visiting because they were scared.
Anthony: You think too much, Jules. Don’t worry about any of that because I’m fine now.
Me: I’m not.
Anthony: I miss you too, Jules.
Me: I want you back, Ants. I miss you so much that my brain is all foggy and unfocussed and I have never, ever felt so alone. I just want to talk to you!
Anthony: You are talking to me.
Me: So is that okay, if I keep talking to you?
Anthony: Of course!
Me: Yeah, but this is just me pretending to talk to you, Ants. I have to eventually get used to the reality that you are dead. I’m just as crazy about you now as I was when I was 18, but you’re gone!
Anthony: I’m not gone or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Me: So where are you?
Anthony: I don’t honestly know….
jmgoyder 
Keep on with this healing process, I am sure that it helps.
Your imagined conversations speak volumes to how you and Anthony lived and loved.
Hang in there Jules and keep talking. You have to admit, you’ve got people admitting to themselves that death is a part of life, and if the only way to meet it head on and continue moving forward is to have conversations with them, then who’s to say otherwise? xoxo
Oh, Julie – this is all so sweet and healing. You are an inspiration to other people in grief because they could learn so much from your lovely conversations.
Anthony is certainly with you. He is a part of you and you’ll hold him in your heart and mind forever.
Another awesome conversation