A Common Tradegy

This afternoon I met a couple who had suffered the lose of a child.  They lost a daughter, Karen who was 27.  They shared with me Karen’s story and how she had died 11 years ago. It has become a realization for me just how many parents have lost a child.  The “club” is certainly much bigger than I had supposed. One thing that the Mom said, which proved an encouragement to me, is that she misses her daughter every day. It’s perhaps somewhat counter intuitive but, I want to miss Brian. I want to miss him until the day I join him. Don’t understand me wrong, I don’t dwell on his absence all day long reveling in sorrow. But rather something happens or I hear or see something and it reminds me of him.  A pleasant memory flashes by and I wonder how he would have taken in the moment. For instance, as I sit and watch a soccer World Cup game I ask myself who he would of chosen and why.  Would he have chosen today’s underdog or have chosen Messi because of the beauty of his game.  Sometimes it’s hard to say because Brian was very deliberate in his picks and didn’t waffle much.  I so enjoyed listening to him rationalize his picks, they almost always made sense to me.

I miss my Brian and am thankful I will miss him everyday for years to come.