Death

This week I will be attending two funerals... both a result of cancer. First, on Tuesday, the father of a close friend & co-worker, who succumbed after about a year battling bone cancer. Second, on Thursday, a friend who we used to attend church with who had been battling cancer for about 5 years. In each case, they are way too young for us to make any sense of it. I think Dan is early 60s and Adina is early 30s.

I won't get into a deep theological discussion on death. What I will say, however, is that we don't know what the day is going to hold. Some days, weeks, months, and even years are going to be tougher than others - this is a tough emotional week.

Interestingly, during our book discussion group last week, we chatted about how we could approach empathizing with someone when we have not gone through their situation. What do we provide, when we don't truly understand what someone is going through. I've been through a decent amount in my life, but I've never had to bury a parent, a sister, or a child. We have been learning that we build relationships through connecting and that connecting happens through putting yourself into the other person's reality (subject to boundaries). The question becomes, "how can I enter their reality when their reality is something I haven't experienced and is tough for me to imagine?"