Newsletter only child Spring 2023

TCF Newsletter | tcf.org.uk 3 Keeping a connection I am only 15 months in from losing George, who like everyone here was my absolute world. He was my past, present and future and I am truly lost without him. More than that, I will feel forever fragmented in my existence. George was at home with me all the time and I spent so much of my energy trying to get him out on trips or going out to eat to help boost his mood as he had struggled with his mental health since his early teens. Covid unfortunately had a huge impact on George's mental health as we were no longer able to go to the cinema, restaurant, art gallery or anywhere else I could get him to before this happened. I went through a divorce during COVID but didn't feel alone or reflect on this as I had my son with me and he needed me so much. Now I am on my own with little real family, life can be a daily battle to keep myself in a functioning state. It's hard but throughout this I have sought whatever help and support I could get as George believed so much in therapy and I know he would be cross with me if I didn't help myself. Throughout my grief I have felt the need to keep parenting and to still be George's mum. To do this and for my own sanity of getting through the weeks and months I have looked at ways of feeling close to George. George loved art, culture, films, politics. He was a very creative being. I am not naturally creative but I have really tried to look at ways to keep him shining brightly in my life. I have done this by creating a blog site, which I have not made public, so people cannot find it but it's there for when I want it to be shared. On that site I write messages to George. I have been on my George days out where I have kept him centre in my heart in whatever I have done that day. I have been to see films I know he would have loved and written reviews on the site for him. I have been to see exhibitions that I felt he