To say this has been a really hard weekend would be a huge understatement. We lost a good friend this week, to a heart attack, and he leaves behind his wife and two young boys. It hit our neighborhood especially hard. You could almost feel an entire neighborhoods' sleeplessness. There is so much worry and sadness, concern and love. I worry for my friend and her two little boys. I wonder how a person gathers the strength to go on. My heart absolutely breaks for them.
On Saturday, my friend Dawn buried her husband. There is nothing I can do to make things better for her, nothing I can say to ease her pain. I did the only thing I could, which is show my love through food and hugs. A few friends and I played "caterer" and prepared a meal for for the family. After a cold and snowy morning at the graveside service, we greeted them with hugs and we were able to warm the family a bit through the food we had prepared. I can't tell you how much it meant to me, to be able to help out in this way, to serve them and provide some comfort in their time of need.
Sunday was the memorial service. I cried as I listened to Dawn speak about her love for her husband, and thought about how she is so much stronger than I am. The audience was filled with friends, family, and an entire neighborhood who appreciates everything this family does for the community. There were also many children there, to support the sons who were left behind.
On top of the sorrow we were feeling, with the loss of our friend, came the unthinkable.
A friend posted this on Facebook, and as difficult as it was to read, I found myself smiling a bit for the first time all week, at the thought of these children happy once again.
