Friday, August 29, 2014

Matters of Life and Death, and Friends

I saw the picture first. Just two smiling friends on a typical Facebook post. It wasn't until I read the comments that I knew those happy faces were from another time and that today was a very sad day.  Later I learned that one was a 30 something  mother of 3 young children who had struggled 4 long years with breast cancer before losing her life to that dread disease.  All the ice bucket challenges in the world can't comfort us  in the face of another person dying so young from any disease.

For me, it's  a flashback 35 years  and the sad realization that even after all this time we are still losing our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends to breast cancer.  Kathy, one of the first friends of my newly married life years ago, died after living with breast cancer for 5 years.  At that age, friends come more slowly but more intensely into your life and they stay longer - lifelong we hope.   And when they die the loss is even greater and even scarier because it reminds us how vulnerable we all are, how fleeting life can be for all of us.  The grieving is overwhelming and the missing never goes away.

I didn't know this young woman - or her heartbroken young husband or the 3 small children who can't possibly comprehend their mother's absence.  But I do know the friend pictured with her and I do feel the pain she feels today at the death of her friend.  In time, some memories of their friendship will fade but the best ones will become even brighter and she will slowly find comfort and peace  - and gratitude for the time they did have as friends.

No comments:

Post a Comment