You Never Know

This morning I thought I was simply going to go to my guild meeting & have lunch with a friend. Little did I know that these simple activities were both going to provide lessons in life’s fragility.

At the meeting we learned that the daughter of a member had just had a personal tragedy, losing her baby at just two weeks before her due date. Sad for the parents, the grandparents, the 3-year-old eager to be big sister.

After the meeting I had lunch with my friend, as planned. We caught up on the many happenings since we’d visited, enjoying each other and good food. Then she told me that the 26-year-old daughter of a mutual friend had died just before Christmas.

I have no idea how a parent ever copes with the loss of a child. I know people have to do it every day of the week, I just can’t imagine how. Regardless of the circumstances, I don’t think there can’t be anything more tragic.

In both these cases, there was no warning, no chronic illness, no idea that death was right around the corner. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse, but it certainly increases the shock of it all. How long does it take your mind to really grasp it? How much longer before you can put one foot in front of the other and move from bedroom to kitchen, kitchen to front door? What kind of colossal effort does it take to buy groceries, bring in the mail, put gas in the car?

I am thankful that I never had to face this personally. I’ve lost people, people I’ve loved deeply and still miss. I am far from coming to terms with the fact that I’ll likely lose more before my own demise. But one’s children? It truly is beyond my comprehension.

I need to go call my kids and tell them that I love them. I just have to stop the tears from running down my face first.