March 8, 2019
Hello ,
I will never write today's date, March 8th, without remembering it was Louise's birthday. My sister, two years younger, died last year.
In these moments of stark pain and deep loss, I wonder about the nature of being a human and walking this earth. All the faith, philosophy, science and words of comfort pale beside the ache in my chest, because right now, this moment in time, Louise is gone. Not here. Not breathing this air, not hearing a sound, not feeling a touch.
You've felt it. The loss of someone dear. That's what I cling to. It's not my grief. It's our grief. We're in this together no matter how our beliefs might differ or coincide, no matter who we've lost, what language we speak, what color our skin happens to be.
Our deepest sorrow feels intensely personal, as does our strongest love. Yet, those experiences profoundly connect us to every stranger we meet, every face across the globe. My heartache at Louise's absence joins the stream of heartache flowing among us and it calls me to be tender as I walk this earth.
