The loss of a family member is a tragic experience. If it’s a close family member, the pain tends to linger. But not everyone can understand that type of pain, and some might even try to ’fix it.’ That was exactly what happened to Linda and she shared her story.
Here’s her story:
For my birthday a few years ago, my late mom gave me a chef’s kitchen knife. I was an aspiring chef at the time, and she had it engraved with the date I was supposed to graduate. It was a gift I’d treasure for years to come.
She passed away two years ago, and the anniversary of her passing was two weeks ago. We arranged a dinner in her honor and invited our closest family. I made her favorite meal, and we shared some of the fondest memories we had of her.
When I was done cooking, I left the knife on the counter to wash later. After dinner, my MIL offered to clear the plates, which wasn’t unusual, but this time I got a strange feeling. It was like something was trying to warn me about her.
But I shrugged it off. When I returned to the kitchen to get the desserts, my knife was gone. I asked my MIL about it, and she said, “It looked dangerous,” so she tossed it in the trash.
But the worst part was that she was smiling like she’d done me a favor. I started crying as I opened the trash can. Luckily, it was still on top, so I took it out and put it in the sink.
I turned to my MIL and asked her why she would do something like this. She just shrugged and said, “This is stopping you from moving on. I was doing you a favor.”
When I asked her why she thought this would help me, she said, “You need to grieve.
That can’t happen if you hold onto things like that knife. I’m throwing it away to help you.”
At first, I was furious, but now I’m wondering if she was right. Should I throw the knife away?
