Life is so very precious

Today I learned a very sad and tragic thing. My colleague’s daughter passed away unexpectedly this morning. She was only 37. She left behind a husband and two children. And it happened so quickly. She got sick on Sunday, went to InstaCare Monday and was in ICU by Monday night with pneumonia.

By this morning she had passed away.

Oh how my heart goes out to this colleague, especially since her daughter was her only child.

I wish there was something, anything I could say to help ease the pain. But, I learned through my own experience last year that at times like these there’s often no words that can bring comfort, especially when the grief is fresh and raw. Everyone grieves so differently that what works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else. And words are most often inadequate.

I know people say platitudes with the intention of offering comfort in the only way they know. But, honestly they just aren’t very helpful. Although the main one everyone said to me after my niece died means more to me now, at the time of my loss I got sick of hearing it. I don’t want to be one of those who say the expected phrases.

I don’t want to make this about me because it’s not, but today was a hard day. I think everyone on my floor was upset by the news. It brings home to everyone just how fragile life is and what’s really important. For me, it brought back all the feelings from the day Ashley died and how empty and sad I felt. That was a pretty sucky day and there were many others that followed. I’m stronger for having lived through it, but it’s not a time I want to go back to.

The point of all this is just that although this isn’t my personal loss, I still feel it affects me in that I care about the person it happened to. I know how much losing someone you loves hurts, and I just hope we’re able to give her the support she needs in the way that’s most helpful for her. More importantly, I hope she feels the love of her Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ. They can’t take away the pain she feels, but they can offer comfort and send tender mercies along the way.