Everyone remembers that whenever he lied, Pinocchio’s wooden nose grew longer. When we’re not truthful eg. “I’m fine thanks”, our noses don’t grow, our distress does. Fooling others is one thing, not being open with ourselves is worse. Hiding our concerns eventually makes the burden heavier. Getting through grief isn’t possible without honesty.

Pinocchio didn’t have much brain in his poor little wooden head. His silliness resulted in him growing donkey ears – literally making an ass of himself. Tormented by grief we may act unreasonably. It’s not prudent to ignore our own physical and emotional health nor to neglect to nurture the well being of others. Enveloped by misery it’s tempting to withdraw but one of the most sensible things we can do is to communicate with those we love.

Jiminy Cricket was Pinocchio’s best friend and conscience. His counsel was well-thought out but alas too often flouted. More troubles befell our puppet until he learnt to heed good advice. For the bereaved there are numerous sources to choose from. Perhaps your examples come from reading, learning from the experiences of others, benefiting from the guidance of experts. It could be receiving professional help or maybe attending meetings, joining support groups such as TCF and keeping in touch with other grieving families.

Eventually Pinocchio did reach his goal and become human. He achieved this by behaving with extraordinary courage and ingenuity. Each of us displays bravery as we move through every day, the next month, another year. We are heroic as we learn to re-invest in our lives and to be with others as they remake theirs. The Oscar-winning hit song of “Pinocchio” was “When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.” Go on and wish, for that star is you.

With much love,
Rosemary, TCF Johannesburg, South Africa.