this is Angela
on december 22 2017, my friend, my partner, my love, Angela died
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to honor her, i wrote tea time with the reaper. a short story chronicling the nine years and four months Angela and i shared together. from the moment we met, to the moment she died
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for those who read the book, everyone finds something different that resonates with them. for some it is our love story, the kind of love story that many believe can only be found in pure fiction. for others, yet another example of how broken the health care system truly is. and for a few, an in your face reminder of how painfully, how quickly, and how ‘not according to plan’ WE ALL DIE
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since book’s release on september 22 2019, something unexpected began to happen; people started reaching out. reaching out to share their own experiences. sharing the stories of their loved ones. the circumstances surrounding their deaths, and the ensuing tidal wave those who remained behind were forced to endure in its wake
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this why the tea time with the reaper podcast was launched. to provide a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and feelings surrounding the life and death of someone close them; a child, a friend, a hero, a parent, a partner, a sibling. to honor someone taken by lifelong struggles, a terminal illness or unforeseen events. an opportunity to openly discuss the personal details of each death and its aftermath, many for the first time
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while each episode of the tea time with the reaper podcast is different and special in their own way, there is one common theme amongst them all; for those left behind, death was just the beginning
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each and every one of them found themselves on a journey they never expected or wanted to be on. each facing the unexpected pain of being force-fed course after course of overwhelming decisions and obligations while barely being able to breath. each struggling to weather a shit-storm of emotions, with such unpredictable veracity that it shook their very being
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the lessons shared in those stories can be found in grim’s after tea desserts
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that is why we must find the courage to share stories of death, and the courage to learn from the lessons they provide
