Message #69770

[spitfire78]

I had the death of a very beloved boss to cancer.  It was 6 months from the diagnosis to death.  In the beginning he was still working, so I jumped in and did whatever I could so that he had to do only what I could not.  Then for a while he was home but still dealing with work.  Eventually, he was not dealing with work at all.  All of it was very difficult.  I cried a lot at home in the evenings.  But he suffered so that it was a relief when it was over because I knew he was no longer suffering.  

I had a difficult time over the next couple of years finding enough to do to fill my days.  His work had been such a large part of my workload.  He was a true Type A personality and it kept me hopping just keeping up with him!  Suddenly all of that was gone.  I kept asking and asking for more duties.  Eventually I was given some more purchasing work to do, and that in the end led to my current position.  But I have to say that I really was never totally happy in my old position once he was gone.  I was just never given enough duties to fill that huge hole in my workday.  And I knew that it was unlikely that I would ever have the relationship with another boss that I had with him.  We were like hand and glove and it worked beautifully.  I had other bosses that I liked and respected and we worked well together, but it wasn't the same.

However, it all turned out well in the end, since my persistence in seeking more duties did eventually lead me to this position, and I couldn't be happier now.