It has been a really sad weekend. One of Chase's close friend's Dad, at 42 yrs old, died on Friday from brain cancer. A life completely unfinished.
The Father of three beautiful kids and husband to a wonderful wife - the
community is grieving their loved one. Today it seems everyone I run into has been deeply affected and saddened by this tragic death.
And my son is beside himself. He cried all night long...for his friend's
unimaginable loss.
What occurred to me most over the last 24hrs in how important a support system is to a family. Almost instantly the children were taken under the wings of friends of the family, they were comforted and cared for. This particular family has a network or friends whom all ski together and see each other every weekend and they have raised their children together. They are like family to each other.
And now they are mourning together.
And they will take care of that wife and those children of that dear friend that they lost in his honor as if they were their own. I am certain.
And that is so important isn't it-to try and build that for our own children?
Because we never know where life will end up. As scary as it is to think about we need to prepare them as much as we can and make sure there love goes well beyond just us-that it is extended to other people and parts of the world...and that other people's love reaches them.
To not be selfish when it comes to love. To let as many people love them as possible and to let them be in love with many.
So as my son asks me again this weekend if it is ok if next summer he goes to camp for a month as a counselor in training or would I miss him too much, or my older son chooses a friend's family for a Friday night dinner over our own, or my daughter goes on a trip with her godparents in the future-a place I would like to experience with her myself, or as I feel sometimes too tired or busy to make special trips and times in our schedules to be with cousins or friends for my children far away....I will think back to this Friday.
And I will remember that life is never predictable or fair.
That we need to force ourselves to plan for the unexpected.
That we need to provide for our children beyond our own embraces and our own love to give.
We have to encourage the world to love them as much as possible and to have many parents.
In case one day we are gone and we have to leave them.
We need them to be able to go on with happiness in their hearts.
With others who will collect them and cuddle them as their own.
And for us as parents to ensure that we don't only nurture our children, but the support system around us-and build foundations that may someday turn into homes.
It takes a village to raise kids-and it’s up to us to build it even if we don’t have the first clue how.
