{"id":184582,"date":"2022-03-30T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T01:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=184582"},"modified":"2022-03-31T22:43:27","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T14:43:27","slug":"how-to-support-loved-ones-through-grief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/how-to-support-loved-ones-through-grief\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re here for you: How to support your loved ones through grief and loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mid-20s is a strange stage of life to be in. Last time I checked, I was just a student contemplating what to get for takeaway<\/a>; and then \u2013 in the blink of an eye \u2013 I\u2019m trying to wrap my head around my bills and taxes. Everyone around me is getting a job<\/a>, moving out<\/a>, or leaving the country<\/a>; friends start getting married<\/a>, and even having kids<\/a>. Ah, the joys of #adulting. But, maturing as an adult also comes with its sorrows. After all, with ageing, eventually comes death \u2013 the death of those we love, who are older than us, which sometimes happens before we\u2019ve had a chance to prepare ourselves. The shock can make it even harder when supporting someone through grief.<\/p>\n

Grieving sudden deaths<\/h3>\n
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Aunt Gigi (affectionately known as Granny Gigi by some) was an immensely talented artist who only started learning when she was already in her 70s. This was one of her pieces from 2018 (Art: Mok Wai-chee; Image: i-dArt via Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first death happened at the end of December 2020. It was one of my maternal grandfather\u2019s younger sisters, Aunt Gigi. I recognised her when I saw a photo of her but, otherwise, I had no other recollection. It was different for my mum, though. She told me that they used to spend a lot of time together before Aunt Gigi got married. Despite the fact that they haven\u2019t spoken in a long time, Aunt Gigi only had a handful of surviving members from her immediate family. Therefore, my mum had to take care of most of the things Aunt Gigi left behind. She was also the one in charge of the funeral.<\/p>\n

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Aunt Gigi explored different media and motifs in her art. This was her \u2018Lotus\u2019 from 2013 (Art: Mok Wai-chee; Image: i-dArt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second death occurred in February 2021. This time, it was one of my maternal grandfather\u2019s younger brothers. Let\u2019s call him Uncle 12 here, since he was the 12th oldest among his brothers (yes, it was a big family). I didn\u2019t need a reminder of his face, but having spent so many years away from home, I couldn\u2019t remember much about Uncle 12 either. His whole family was abroad and, for several reasons (one of which was, of course, COVID-19), couldn\u2019t come back to Hong Kong. This, again, left my mum to be the one to sort things out after Uncle 12\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

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