佚名/Anonymous
A dear friend of mine lost her husband in an accident. Her husband's passing was sudden and unexpected. It happened out of the blue. The tragedy was a shock to everyone. They were such a happy and lucky couple.
For me, it drove me the realization that you just don't know when a loved one will leave you.
We sometimes take our loved ones for granted. We expect that they'll be with us forever.
However, life doesn't work that way. Sometimes we get a wake up call that shocks us. A wake up call like that makes us realize how short life is.
In consoling her, I tried to imagine how I would feel if I was in her shoes. How would I feel if I had just lost my husband? It was impossible to imagine what she was going through. I didn't know what words to say to help her feel better.
Sometimes words just cannot express our feelings. Sometimes our actions are much more meaningful than words. A hug can sometimes express more. Sometimes, even just being there to listen can be more meaningful.
I didn't know what to say to her so I didn't say anything. I just let her cry and held her. I made sure she had something to eat and I listened when she talked.
As I was leaving the funeral parlor, I ran into Marilyn. Marilyn has been a true friend to me over the years. She is one of those friends who is with you in the good times and is always by your side in the bad times. She has a sense of humor that makes everyone laugh and she makes everyone feel at ease. We chitchatted for a few moments.
She asked me how my job was. I started talking on and on. I told her about how I was having a stressful week with my job.
I complained to her about all the issues at work. She listened to me as I ranted and raved about my frustrations. I went on and on about how hard my week had been.
“Oh,”I said,“And don't even get me started about what happened yesterday. Let me just tell you that I had an awful day.”She gave me a look that made me stop talking. Marilyn took my face gently in her hands and kissed my forehead. Tenderly, and with love, she said,“But at least you had a day.”