Hijacked Grief...

I haven't posted a new entry since November--election time. It's not that I haven't been writing; I have. I started seeing so much of what I've written here, and elsewhere, show up in a weekly newspaper column. At first, it was a little eery to see writing that so mimicked my own in thought. It wasn't word-for-word plagiarism, but I was seeing entire articles written on exact topics on which I'd written, with a cadence so like my own, from the same perspective as mine. Originally, I thought perhaps the writer and I were just very like-minded; she had also buried a son. As time went on, though, I could see her style of writing changed dramatically when centered on topics I hadn't so far touched. Her voice changed. Her insights changed. The personality of her pen changed. I considered pulling my blog, or maybe hiding it so that only I can read it, but I felt I needed proof of what was mine. Instead, I kept writing and have made the posts only available to myself. I was stunned to see my entry, The Grief Contest, mirrored so clearly in the paper this week. And I was hurt, too. To the columnist: I am profoundly sorry for your loss. Please, please be honest enough about your grief to write it from your own perspective. I guarantee your healing will benefit far more from your thoughts and words than from mine. Your candor may be the lifeline another parent needs. Someday I hope to publish my entire journey here, for myself, for my son, and for other grieving mothers, but until I've stumbled a little further down the road, putting "one foot in front of the other", I simply cannot bear to see my journey hijacked by another.