Today I was haunted by a snippet I heard on satellite radio. It went something like this. You can't bypass your life's journey. It is the cocoon that nourishes, and then releases your spirit.
Ironically, I came home to the news that my niece's mother will probably die tonight. Kendra has metastatic breast cancer that spread to her bones and brain. Her daughter, Nichole, is married to my brother's son, Chris. I love the two of them as if they were my own children.
It's been a painful journey for me because my mother died of breast cancer when I was twenty-nine. This journey with Nichole has brought back so many memories. One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it's guilt, anger, love, loss or betrayal. We fight
to hold on and we fight to let go.
It is a day later and Kendra died last night. I am comforted by the snippet I heard on the radio. And because of it, I imagine Kendra's soul released like a butterfly from its cocoon. I see how beautiful she is as she flaps her wings and flies.
Nichole was lying in bed next to her mother, holding her hand as she emerged. The symmetry of the image strikes me as incredibly beautiful. Kendra ushered Nichole into this life and Nichole ushered her mother out.
So this is my blog. What does this have to do with writing? Everything. We write when we hurt. We write when we feel joy. We write when we are so confused that we don't know where to turn. And we write when we want to give comfort to someone we love so much. We write when we know words don't help at times like this, but we just don't have anything else to give. And so, I give this to you, Nichole.
Ironically, I came home to the news that my niece's mother will probably die tonight. Kendra has metastatic breast cancer that spread to her bones and brain. Her daughter, Nichole, is married to my brother's son, Chris. I love the two of them as if they were my own children.
It's been a painful journey for me because my mother died of breast cancer when I was twenty-nine. This journey with Nichole has brought back so many memories. One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it's guilt, anger, love, loss or betrayal. We fight
to hold on and we fight to let go.
It is a day later and Kendra died last night. I am comforted by the snippet I heard on the radio. And because of it, I imagine Kendra's soul released like a butterfly from its cocoon. I see how beautiful she is as she flaps her wings and flies.
Nichole was lying in bed next to her mother, holding her hand as she emerged. The symmetry of the image strikes me as incredibly beautiful. Kendra ushered Nichole into this life and Nichole ushered her mother out.
So this is my blog. What does this have to do with writing? Everything. We write when we hurt. We write when we feel joy. We write when we are so confused that we don't know where to turn. And we write when we want to give comfort to someone we love so much. We write when we know words don't help at times like this, but we just don't have anything else to give. And so, I give this to you, Nichole.
RSS Feed