A good friend of one of my kids passed away suddenly this weekend. We’re all stunned and grieving. If it had been a car crash or an illness, maybe we could have accepted it better, albeit with no less sorrow, but it was one of those horrible freak accidents that defy description.The ripple effect has been massive. And I can’t begin to imagine how the parents of the dead boy feel, or his siblings.
When we first heard the news today I have to admit that I fervently hoped that the news–from the other side of the world–was someone’s idea of a very, very bad joke. Tragically, that wasn’t the case.
One young life was lost. A thousand hearts are bleeding.
I never thought my kids would have to cope with this sort of thing. We never did when I was growing up. Maybe I grew up in some sort of Utopia–an alternative reality where bad things didn’t happen to good people, but why then do our children have to face this now? Today? I hate it, and I feel so helpless. I just want to wrap my kids in a safe secure bubble where bad things won’t happen to them and as a parent I feel so impotent that I know I can’t stop these horrible things happening in their lives. I feel incredibly blessed that my kids still have their arms wrapped around me–both seeking and providing comfort on this horrible, horrible day.
My kids’ high school (which is closed for school holidays right now) is opening tomorrow, armed to the teeth with grief counsellors as they struggle to come to terms with why a student inexplicably passed away on an international school trip. There’s no blame. There are no fingers to be pointed.
We can only celebrate the life led by a lost boy, and from what I can tell he left much to be mirthful about in his wake. And we can celebrate that our own children are safe–for now–and try not to feel guilty about that.
“Expressing a negative experience is both a symptom and a cure.” You might want to read this…
http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/expressing-negative-experience-is-both.php
A sad time for everyone.
Comment by GoingLikeSixty — 23 September, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Thanks for the link GoingLikeSixty. It’s very interesting reading.
Comment by yvonnelindsay — 23 September, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
Yvonne, that’s just so so sad. A young 22 year old guy that my husband worked with died in an accident four weeks ago and it’s just so hard to get your head around these things. I also grew up in a bubble and the first funeral I ever went to was my dad’s one 2 years ago. It starts to make me realise just how lucky I’ve been.
Comment by amanda ashbya — 5 October, 2007 @ 12:11 am
hmmm, it seems that I can no longer spell my own name!!!!!
Comment by amanda ashby — 5 October, 2007 @ 12:11 am
I know what you mean (on the name spelling and living in a bubble!)
The boy’s funeral is tomorrow. A week before his 18th birthday. Words are totally inadequate at times like these. It’s certainly been a roller coaster of emotions around our house.
Comment by yvonnelindsay — 5 October, 2007 @ 2:20 am