No Words

It is true no words can capture what it means to a parent when they lose a child. Words of comfort can only attempt to convey the love and sorrow that others feel for the grieving parents and family.

As I walk the path of sorrow along with the parents and grandparents of my precious little cousin, Rose — she died this past summer right before her seventh birthday — I can’t imagine the depth of loss they’ve been feeling.

During my stay in the hospital last month while recovering from aortic valve replacement surgery, my wife Barbara and I were speaking to one of my nurses about Rose.

As we were speaking with her, (let’s call her, Mary), her countenance became clouded with pain. She told us that a number of years ago she had lost a child, her son, at a young age. When we asked her how she had coped with her loss, she shared with us what we both felt to be a profound description of the aftermath of such a loss.

I believe her words carry a measure of truth for anyone who has endured the devastating loss of a child. This is what she told us:

“At first I felt like both of my legs had been amputated – I’ll never be able to walk

again. Eventually I did walk again, but it was never the same.

Sometimes I fall. Sometimes are easier than others to get back up.

Sometimes the scab breaks off and everything bursts out.”

Thank you, Mary, for sharing your heart with us. Hopefully your words will bring some measure of insight and understanding to all who read them.

AMS