I have thought a lot lately about just how lucky I am to have my Dad in my life. I found myself very reflective on his birthday. It occurred to me, as it has before, the vastness of what my own kids have learned to carry. While I cannot even let myself consider the day when I may no longer have my Dad, I know that my daughters live that reality. That they have faced the unthinkable, that they continue to face it and that they do so with a strength and resilience that amazes me. It is not an easy road for them. Nor is it for any of the other children who find themselves during loss. I have had the opportunity to meet and hear of many such children over the years, and I find their stories to be universally yet uniquely heartbreaking and inspiring. These kids deserve our support and our respect. Their challenges are beyond what should be expected of ones so young.
Tomorrow is Children’s Grief Awareness Day. I encourage everyone to wear blue in support of that. In support of all the kids who live with a reality that we can witness but perhaps not ever truly understand.