Adapted extracts from a letter from Fran Duncan to the Natural Death Centre.
Could today's society benefit from the reintroduction of a recognised sign indicating a person was going through a bereavement process?
One day I was walking along the High Street, and met an acquaintance with a newly-born child in a push chair. She asked how I was, and I wondered what to say? Should I keep up the bright conversational tone, or should I mention my dad's passing? It was four months since he had died, so would it be considered 'valid' to bring the subject up?
In the end I did mention it. It turned out that she had also recently lost a parent, so we had useful experiences to exchange.
A black armband (or modern equivalent, such as a symbol of a heart with a tear dropping from it), by 'telling my story for me', would have avoided my dilemma.
Fran Duncan, 8 Blankney Close, Guisborough, Cleveland TS14 7PA.
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