Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Reality Check

I drove past a funeral home yesterday and was startled at how busy it was. The parking lot was full, as were the surrounding business lots, the side streets and even the driveway. It was so chaotic traffic was disrupted on the main road I was driving on. There was a line of people more than two blocks long waiting patiently to be allowed in. Who was this for? I assumed some local dignitary or bar owner or something.

When I got into work this morning, I grabbed yesterday’s paper and looked. It was a 14 year old boy who had lost his long battle with cancer. And I started crying for the family of this boy I had never met. He was obviously so loved by so very many people and had touched so many in his brief life. In a few short days, it will be Mother’s Day, and no matter how blessed she feels to have had him in her life, that days is going to be empty.

There was a line in a movie once, “When you lose a spouse, you’re widowed. When you lose your parents, you’re an orphan. But they don’t have a name for you when you lose a child”. It’s too horrible to think about.

This Sunday, I’ll be hugging my kids a little harder, thanking God a lot more fervently, and praying for this mom and all the others that no longer have a child to hold.

5 comments:

Shupe said...

Heartbreaking post- but you are so right on so many accounts......

Life is short - and I'm glad they don't have a term for a mother losing a child- I couldn't bare the thought either .......

Tracie said...

Thanks for the reminder! That is a heartbreaking reality check.

Unknown said...

I'm with you! My heart really goes out to the parents of that young boy. I lost my firstborn to muscular dystrophy. Knowing he would not live through his early twenties, one still cannot possibly be prepared for his demise.

Sultan said...

: (

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

Very sad. I have known too many children who have lost their battle. We are one of the lucky ones. Our son is alive and well. I can't imagine losing a child. Just too awful to even try to fathom.