The Loss of Kidd Kraddick

A City in Mourning: Grieving the Loss of Kidd Kraddickby Charity Hagains MA, LPC-SOver the past couple of weeks the city of Dallas has mourned the loss of anicon we have all come to care for in ways we didn’t even realize.  For overtwo decades, Kidd Kraddick woke us up and got us moving every morning.  Themajority of people I have spoken with since his passing have all expressedsimilar stages of shock, not just at his passing but at how much he meantto them.  Repeatedly this week I heard, “I don’t know why I am this upset,but I am.  I never even met him, but I feel like I have lost a part of myfamily.”  I remind clients that although he may not have known us, we didknow him.*Grief doesn’t always make sense*, but it is a shared emotional responsethat most of the city is struggling through.  The man we knew through hisradio career was caring, loving, ridiculous, and genuine.  He sharedhimself with us everyday.  As we work to overcome the shock of his suddenpassing, it seems we all feel a sense of wishing we could have expressedhow much we appreciated that open, honest conversation that we took forgranted.Grief is never an easy emotion to process, but sharing such unpleasant anddifficult feelings with others is a coping mechanism that I for one amgrateful for experiencing.  The best way to work through these feelings isto talk about them.  In this case, it seems many people feel silly forhaving such an emotional attachment to someone they did not knowpersonally, but I urge you not to dismiss the shock and sadness you arefeeling.The staff at Noyau has been greatly effected by his passing as well.  Wehave gathered as a group and talked about our favorite memories of KiddKraddick.  All of us are native Texans and have been listening to Kiddsince we were in high school.  We grew up with him.  We each learned somuch about life, family, and friendship from the years we spent listeningto his show.  Stopping to talk about the ways he impacted each of us andsharing with someone else what we are feeling has been indescribablyhelpful.As we each mourn Kidd in our own personal way, I urge you share yourmemories and your sadness with those around you.  The entire city isfeeling the void his death has left.  Use that shared grief as anopportunity to come together and heal as a city.  There is no greatercomfort than the support and empathy of others.  Let his legacy ofauthentic conversation be your guide through, what may be, a surprisinglypainful time.We support Kidd’s legacy and hope you will too.www.1061kissfm.comwww.kiddskids.com