Call Your Parents

What is going on? I’m not sure, but I’m kind of sad. Two friends have lost loved ones in less than two weeks. One lost her only child, her 24-year-old son, in the middle of the night.  She was his sole caretaker, being that he was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), a congenital syndrome. How she loved her little treasure. She loved him with all she had and still does.  She fought for laws to be changed in order for special children like him to enjoy and experience things that we often take for granted. She took him bowling. He graduated high school and won several awards. While some saw a cute young man with beautiful lashes who didn’t speak and had different physical characteristics than we are accustomed to, she treated him with the respect and love he deserved and didn’t limit him or underestimate his abilities.

A few days after attending his Celebration of Life, I just found that a friend lost her dad, just weeks before her wedding. I don’t know what she must be going through, and I’m not even the best person to say that I do. My heart hurts for her though. How do you move on from that? Apparently, it was unexpected; a heart attack took him away from her family much too soon.  

I’m not sure how people go through life once they lose a sibling, parent, or child, but they must have a strength that helps them get through it. Whether expected or unexpected, the loss of a life can’t be easy.

I become a clam at times like this, because I tend to be at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say that will sufficiently express how I feel. I feel if I say too much, I may put my foot in my mouth and come off as insensitive, but I’m always concerned that my silence may be interpreted as me not caring.

To those who still have the chance, we need to hold our loved ones tighter. We need to tell them we love them more often. While they are still around, we need to make the time to spend with them. We take so much for granted, and we assume we’ll always have one another, but it’s not guaranteed.  J.K. Simmons said it so well, in terms of appreciating our parents. Call them.