QOTW: November 18, 2011
“Here.”
Twelve years ago today, Aggie Bonfire fell, killing twelve students. It is a day no Aggie will ever forget. We were honored to know one student (Scott knew him better than I did) who perished during the fall. Chris Breen, you are remembered.
*****
Thanks, everyone, for hanging with me this week as I reflected on Luke’s birth and his impact on our family. It has been far reaching. I thought it was appropriate that I share some of the things people said to us that we found incredibly encouraging. It’s not worth my time or energy to quote the horrible things people said. In retrospect, I don’t think they were intended to be so hurtful, they just didn’t know what to say. These are just a handful of quotes that are on my heart this pretty Friday morning.
“Will is a strong kid, he will be fine.” – Will’s, 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Y., in response to our worry about how he was handling everything
Me, as they’re intubating Luke before transport: “Thank God he won’t remember this.”
Nurse, hugging me: “But we know you will, Mom.”
“Just take it one hour, one diagnosis, one specialist at a time.” -Ali, friend from college
“How can I help YOU? Tell me what you need from me.” -Kelli, my Hand to Hold mentor
“You can do this. Don’t doubt yourself.” -Melanie, Luke’s Godmother
“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” -Fr. Dean, at Luke’s emergency baptism
There were literally thousands of emails, comments, facebook posts, cards, letters, texts and voicemails left for us by friends and family. Each one came at just the right time and touched us in just the right way. If you don’t know what to say during a tragedy, that’s ok. But, reach out, in whatever way you feel comfortable. Sometimes, it’s just your presence that lifts the burden.
Make it a great weekend. We have an exciting Friday with Grandparent’s Day at school today, the last soccer games and end-of-season parties tomorrow and Christmas play practice on Sunday. We are grateful for the family time and look forward to posting some great photos next week!
