A neighbor recently lost her 45 year old son after a decade-long battle with cancer. “We are not supposed to bury our children,” she lamented, as her tears flowed freely. I held her closely, not saying much. What does one ever say to a mother who just lost her son? I tried, in quiet desperation, to keep it together, but my tears came freely, as my heart broke for her.
It was just a week ago that I interviewed Sherry Tucker for this blog, who too had lost her young son to the dreaded “C-word.” The sadness in her eyes visible even after all these years of her loss. Do tragedies like this challenge our faith in the divine? Or in her case, it strengthened her faith to do good for other families afflicted with tragedy. You will read her story in these pages in the coming week(s).
Unfortunately, loss creates perspective like no amount of living can ever do.
I have learned to appreciate the fragility of life, and remind myself constantly to not sweat the small stuff. In the major scheme of things, most of what we find aggravating is banal. Keep it real. Show your love and share your hugs, like they are going out of style.
About Hemant Rustogi