Dear Eric: My husband passed away last October. He was very close with his cousin even though they lived states away. Their birthdays are two days apart. The cousin and his wife were notified about his death. I didn’t get any kind of acknowledgement via phone or card. I’m disappointed. Am I wrong to feel this way?
– Unacknowledged
Dear Unacknowledged: I’m sorry for the loss of your husband. It’s not a matter of whether you’re wrong to feel the way you do. The feelings are facts. So, what do you do about them? Reach out to your husband’s cousin and tell him how you feel and what you wish had happened. Ask him for his perspective. A conversation can’t undo the past, but it will help alleviate some of the disappointment you’re feeling. This is important because disappointment, or resentment, will get in the way of the other healing that you’re doing. Better to speak your mind and get his side, than to stew alone about it…