Last year, at this time
our daughter was on her way home
her first year of college unavoidably interrupted
for what we hoped would be a short-ish
time
a full year later, still in a hot zone
nothing normal has resumed
a wholly disappointing halt to something
so promising
wings just beginning to unfurl, on her own
today, she is quite happily
painting in the kitchen
last night during a break in action in the hockey game I was watching,
I’m thinking of a former hockey player
and how it was
he
died
how his name has a few times
come up
in my thoughts
so, I look it up on my phone
and in reading about him, even though it’s been ten years
I find myself holding just a little of
his pain
as a lump in my throat
and an ache in my heart
a suicide
to which there may have seemed no signs
no tell
tales
to those around him
and how utterly heartbreaking
this is, for him, for his family, a wife and two daughters
for his friends
it’s something that touches me very deeply
someone dealing with such sadness
not to say that I am thinking today
of morbid things
rather that I am thinking again today
about
love
and how very important it is
to show people
love
we really don’t know about things
about time
and circumstance
we really never have
what is to come, what will happen
just how much of it
we have
whether we ourselves, or with each other
(even in these current circumstances)
we just do not know
and I know this can be a familiar tune
but what about taking a minute out of your day
to think about
just how important it can be
to be a kindness
in someone’s day
to tell people you love
you appreciate them, ask someone
how they are doing
and listen
… and really listen.
Today, I’m sending you love and kindness
wherever you are
wherever
you may need it
might I ask,
that you
could do the same? ♥
“We can never underestimate this truth: No matter who you are, the biggest thing you do in any day is most often going to be a small act of kindness, decency, or love.” ~ Cory Booker