Condolences

My friend's father died last night after a long illness.  Although he had been sick, learning of his death still shocked me.  It was the kind of news that made time stop.  I had never met him, but I still cried for my friend and her sister, because I know what an incredibly painful time this is for them.  Six years later and I still remember being swallowed by a grief that I saw no end to and a feeling that life for everyone else marched on while mine had come to a standstill.  And that all felt so unfair.

I eventually rejoined the world, of course, where I could enjoy the routine details of life.  And life-changing, happy, life-changing events occurred too.  I married, I had two children and my father remarried a wonderful woman.  However, in my core there's a sadness that may never fade.