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Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who lost husband Dave Goldberg a month ago, on Wednesday posted a very elaborate and candid note on life and how she was coping with it.
In her emotional post, an open tribute to Goldberg, Sandberg shares what loneliness and grief, and the unexpectedness that came with it, taught her about life.
She speaks about getting through the past month, how her friends and family have helped her get through each day. And, she also mentions the challenges such a situation presents before the sufferer. “I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well,” she writes in her essay posted on social networking site Facebook.
The essay is meant to mark the end of sheloshim, the completion of religious mourning for a spouse in Judaism. She thanks every person and every friend who has helped her. “I have lived thirty years in these thirty days. I am thirty years sadder. I feel like I am thirty years wiser.” she adds.
She says she has gained a more profound understanding of what it is to be a mother and what to say to others in need. How a simple “how are you?” makes her furious and a “how are you today” makes more sense of understanding. She tells how a “how you and your children will find happiness again?” makes her dejected and “you will find a new normal but it will never be as good” comforts her.
In the personal tribute, she also talks about grief, the way to deal with it, and the how she is appreciating each day as it comes, taking nothing for granted. “And even though sheloshim has ended, I still mourn for option A. I will always mourn for option A. As Bono sang: “There is no end to grief... and there is no end to love.” I love you, Dave,” she concludes her tribute to her loving husband.
