Not all new things are good things. Experiencing first hand the fragility of life is an example. Funerals are not enjoyable, not exciting and certainly not something a young child needs to know about, but they happen. We are all mortal, and unfortunately we learn far too regularly just how mortal.
I was 18 when I went to my first funeral.
It was my grandmas. I remember certain things; what I wore, the way the sky looked, how many people came along, how fragile life felt. There are a lot of things I don't remember. Dylan won't remember anything from his first encounter. He won't know that he brought smiles- a new life, uncorrupted and aside from tragedy. He won't remember how I held him that night, never wanting to let him go. But he was there. Life is fragile and bad things happen to good people. Without wanting to sound cliched 'live every moment like it was your last'
Becky, what a moving post. I remember both my grandmothers funerals with such clarity. The peach rose that appeared in my wee Grannies garden on the morning of ther funeral, and the brightest bluest sky on the March morning of my Gran's funeral.
ReplyDeleteIn some way, I hope there was comfort for you and others that your little man brought sunshine with his smiles on the day.
It's amazing how the small things stay in your mind but some of the bigger details fade away isn't it. I am glad you remember the nicer things from those days though.
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