I would love to share all things vacation right now but I can’t. Maybe later. But now, my family is going thru a very difficult time and I can’t just post as if it’s not happening. If you know me personally then you are well aware but for those of you who are not… my sister in law, my brother’s wife is currently fighting for her life in the hospital. I say fighting for her life because that’s exactly what she is doing. I won’t go into detail, but it caused me to want to share something.
I haven’t had a lot of death and tragedy in my life. I remember when my Great Grandma Josephine passed away from Leukemia in the summer of 1996. It was the summer between 8th grade and 9th grade and it changed me forever. I was devastated. I was in Philly for the summer and she was in the hospital for most of June and I would go visit her but I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t touch her, I was so afraid. She passed in July and it was truly awful for me. I broke down during the processional and I wanted to go into the casket and get her. Ever since then, I’ve avoided funerals and anything of the sort. I have had a few people pass in my life and have gone to funerals for only those close, but this is the first time anything has come this close to me since the summer of 96. I have strong faith but I’ll admit it’s being tested. I have been at the hospital every day since getting back into town from vacation, with the exception of today. I can feel myself rambling, so let me move on…
When bad things happen, you don’t have the right words. No one has the right words. If I was just in a car wreck you can’t come tell my husband, oh she’s going to be ok, everything’s going to be alright…that’s not going to make him feel better. It’s not about the words you say. It’s about your actions. It’s about being near. When someone is hurting and you don’t have the words to say, just be near. We all face tragic events in our lives, we all know someone who has gone thru something completely unimaginable. Sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t want to hear Annie saying the sun will come out tomorrow. It’s true, that it will, but it’s not helping the person right then and now. I’m the first to admit that I don’t know what to say in some situations, and that’s okay. Just being near is what counts.
So how can you be near?
Well, physically you can be around the person in need. In my instance, I’ve been at the hospital as much as I can. You can feel love. You can feel encouragement. You can feel support. It doesn’t take words, it takes action.
The power of social media really helps if you can’t be near physically. Just a simple I love you or I am here for you means the world to someone who feels like their world is falling apart.
Love is a verb, which means it’s an action. Any act of kindness or love that you can show is more than appreciated. Sending flowers, making a meal, offering to take care of something for them, donating towards expenses, any and all of these things are great examples of being near by showing love.
If you can and are willing to donate, my brother and sister could really use some help because hospital stays, especially lengthy ones are not cheap. I continue to pray for my sister and my brother and my niece and nephew and I trust God.
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