Can it be that many of us embrace our pain and suffering so much that it becomes like a companion or a friend? Have we become so used to and even addicted to the routines that come with our suffering? Can it be that our pain has kept us company for so long and has become so familiar to us that we would miss it if it were gone?
I recall working with some parents that have become so familiar with the heartache of raising a child with autism that they actually resist any relief when it comes. They will make excuses like, “nobody know hows to care for him like me” or “what if he has a meltdown and people don’t know what to do”. The truth many times is that as parents we grow so comfortable with this disorder that we no longer reach for anything greater for ourselves or our children. Our whole life becomes built around the difficulties of autism. It is easy to do. I encourage you to fight the embracing of your heartache and instead mold it, with God’s guidance, into a pedestal of daily victories. Work against isolation and toward a good quality of life for yourself and your family. God loves you and will be with you.
He is faithful who promised! 
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Karen, this is so true. I found myself wondering the same thing about my own grief. It had become a routine – “the poor me” attitude was in my every step and thought. It had become habitual! Praise God for showing me this truth and how to overcome it. I work daily to change my habitual thought patterns of missing Dave in everything situation all the time. These days I work breaking out of that old and debilitating thinking, looking around me (instead of just inside myself) and praising God for the beauty of this place, its many precious people and the healing He has provided to me. I thank God more and more for who He is and for loving me through it all! ~ love you, Linda
Thank you Linda, for your encouraging words to us all who were once married and are now live as singles. God is good and faithful to take us to the next great chapter in our lives. Love you sis.
Karen