Dictionary of Loss

I found Kara L.C. Jones' site today. She's the editor of the 'zine, A Different Kind of Parenting and co-founder of Kota Press. I especially related to her Dictionary of Loss. The following really struck me, since it describes how I've been feeling for the past several months, especially now that I'm back at work, in a very "public" role:

"Fear of the Public, n. 1. This fear will hit the bereaved parent from time to time until they are afraid to go out, afraid to see people, afraid of leaving the confines of their home in hopes of avoiding more pain or having to answer questions like 'When was your baby born?' or 'How many children do you have?' Involves knowing that you really want to talk about your child who died with these people, but realizing that the people who ask these questions don't want to hear the answers and will give you platitudes instead of comfort."