I know other bloggers must go through what I am going through today.
I had a topic that I wanted to write about, an oldie that gets me riled to fantastic measures.
Then Egypt happened. And a neighbor who was only 33 died.
Picture by Embalu
On TV, I see the pictures of rioting, I hear reports of the police and the army protecting what they can. But then I hear that the trash is being picked up and the subway is running. That has not stopped people from gathering to protect their neighborhoods.
People are seeing their country’s government break down and be re-born. I can’t imagine what is going through the heads of the ‘regular’ people.
Nor can I imagine what my neighbor is going through. Her husband, who was only 33, has died. All week there have been cars at her house, people are surrounding her and her girls. We did not speak, not because of any problems. I just never saw them despite our kids being similar in age.
I guess that happens in neighborhoods. There are a bunch of people in my neighborhood that I would talk to if I ever saw them outside of their houses. They have kids, we have kids. But to talk to people you have to get out of the house. To talk to people, you have to make the effort to say hello when you see them at games or concerts. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.
Picture by Click
My thoughts are with her as the family has the funeral and I plan to send a card later in the week. In the back of my mind, no matter what I am doing, is the constant thought of wondering how she and the girls are surviving this loss, this huge loss at such a young age.
I also think about my pastor and his wife who lost their 33 y.o. son a year ago. We are not meant to bury our children. And yet, they have and mourned the loss with every holiday and special event. The anniversary of his death is coming up and all of us at church are trying to remember them in our prayers and actions.
To write about anything else seems trivial and pointless. By Wednesday, I might be ready to be more silly.
totally agree- in fact that just happened to me as well- what works me up seemed trivial in the face of world events. To everything there is a time. . .I’m praying for your neighbor.
Thanks. I am praying for the Egyptians, too. They have suffered and need hope that a better life is coming soon.
Wow. Beautiful post.
Before I married and became a parent, I could honestly say there was nothing I was afraid of. Now, I’m paralyzed by the fear of losing the people closest to me. Maybe that fear just comes with age, but it also comes with seeing love and the world in an entirely new way. I couldn’t stomach a loss like that. I don’t know what I’d do.
I’m so sorry to year about your neighbor’s loss, as well as the loss your pastor and his family are working through. I’ll send prayers that they find solace in this difficult time.
I feel like people are just flying away. It frightens and inspires me to make the most of what we have here.
Very eloquent.
Thanks for stopping by my blog – hope you’ll come back soon.
Thank you for stopping by. And I will be back so I can tell you if the lemon cake worked out for me.
I sending you love and peace. And I am sending it to your neighbors. And to the people in Egypt. Thank you for reminding us all about what is truly important.
PS
I think your neighbor will appreciate a card now, but I suspect an invite to dinner in 3 or 4 months will be even more appreciated!
I barely know the adults in the house so I am including a gift card to McDonald’s in that card, hoping it makes one night just a little easier.
I am praying that you will know just the right thing to say at just the right time to minister to your neighbors. The restaurant gift card sounds like a wonderful idea!
Thanks for your affirmation.
Lovely, thoughtful post. I wouldn’t expect any less from you. Sorry for the loss.. and yes … joining you in prayers of peace in Egypt. MJ
It’s tragic that so many people have to die whenever it’s time for a government or even a single leader to step aside. I doubt those girls next door will ever make sense of the death of their father, but I hope they make peace with it, eventually.
I hope so, too.
So sorry to hear of the loss surrounding you. I feel for the loss your neighbor is experiencing on every level. What would I do if I was her? I unfortunately know what her children are experiencing, as my father passed when I was only 5. I ache for them. They will experience and feel the affects of this loss in many different ways throughout their lives. I’m just now understanding how it has affected me. I pray for them and hope they are surrounded by a great support system in their family as I was.
I am awe struck at the images of Egypt. I can’t imagine what the regular folks are feeling and experiencing, and how this will effect their children.
Writing often helps me through these moments, and I hope it is doing the same for you.
Very thoughtful piece.
Thank you for your kind comments and for stopping by.
It is so strange that the ‘commoners’ suffer for the whims of the ones who choose to rise to power. I wonder when it’ll end, if at all.
Very thoughtful of you to have included the McDonalds voucher. Small little gestures make a lot of difference! Thank you for sharing this post. It is like a breath of fresh air, reading about real life empathy.
The Pyramid of Gaza is a natural wonder of the world .. not many people know but it is a perfect square … way too difficult to achieve even now on such a large scale.
“We are not meant to bury our children.” You know, that statement really sums up how far removed we are from even relatively advanced countries like Egypt, let alone the really desperate, lawless, corrupt and crippled states, if you can call them that, that litter the world’s dark corners.
I’ve researched much of my family history and, in doing so, found that if I go back just two or three generations, parents buried their children in large numbers. Many of them buried half their children before adulthood, then lost more again as adults. Some buried all their children. Disease, malnutrition, accidents and war claimed their children by the score.
And yet, in living memory, we in the West have moved so far beyond those conditions that where we once thought it unremarkable to lose so many of our children, we now think it remarkable if any of them die before us.
Meanwhile, in the poorer parts of the world, they continue to bury their children. No wonder we don’t understand them and they envy, even hate, us.
I hope your neighbour is getting by and being supported by those who best understand her needs.
I know what you are talking about. Just go to a cemetary that is about 100 or more years old (in the US). The number of children who died before the age of 10 is heartbreaking.