A Coincidence?

I've been thinking about the few days before my dad passed away pretty frequently. My little family was getting ready to move back to Michigan from Dublin. We were stressed about the little details and packing up/throwing away/donating the what was left in our apartment. Gearing up for another long flight with a toddler.

The week before was beautiful. On a Wednesday morning I had plans to go for a walk with a good friend who lived in our development. At 10 am I walked over to her place with Liam in tow to collect her for our stroll to the park with our boys. I was greeted at the door by an unfamiliar face who informed me that her mother had passed away unexpectedly from complications of a stroke. This news took me by complete surprise, as I knew her mother to be in good health. The whole family had just returned from a lovely holiday in Spain. I left, and went for the walk anyway, my head spinning and heart breaking for my dear friend.

Later that day there was a knock at my door - she came to apologize for not being home for our scheduled walk. Isn't it silly the things we worry about while grief stricken? I remember just holding her hand and letting her talk about her mom; crying with her. She kept repeating, "it's just awful..." and is was. It is. When she left I couldn't help thinking about how horrible it would be to lose a parent. So incredibly sad for her, but relieved that I was fortunate enough to have still mine.

Crazy how life works, isn't it?