Apr 26, 2023
When you watch someone you love live, and ultimately die, in an abusive relationship, how does it shape your own life? Sheila Kohler's sister was her childhood friend, her confidante. Living parallel lives, her sister Maxine staying in South Africa and Sheila traveling the world. But Maxine's death propelled Sheila towards a turning point. Sheila could see that accepting the abuse in her relationship had led to Maxine's death. Finding a resolve to make her own life what she wanted it to be, Sheila turned towards the things she needed to change, creating the kind of life she truly wanted to live. Becoming a novelist, she told the story of her sister in story after story, Maxine always the main character. And over time, she gathered her resolve to tell the story of the loss itself in her memoir, Once We Were Sisters. What questions remain that will never be answered? And how does the impact of Maxine's death continue to unfold in Sheila's life?
On Good Grief we explore the losses that define our lives. Each week, we talk with people who have transformed themselves through the profound act of grieving. Why settle for surviving? Say yes to the many experiences that embody loss! Grief can teach you where your strengths are and ignite your courage. It can heighten your awareness of what is important to you and help you let go of what is not.