When we try to make sense

Being without a parent is quite a lonely felling. Sure we have our friends, family, brothers and sisters. But there is something just so empty and hollow about life when you don’t have your mother or father anymore. For my cousins Laura, Heather and Sarah the tragedies came too fast. First their mom Marilyn died this past April after a ten-year battle with cancer, and yesterday their dad died after being found unconscious the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My cousin Frankie’s life started to unravel too quickly, and maybe it was all too much for him to handle, who knows.

When tragedies arise we sometimes try to feel better about them in any way we could. And although I personally lost my brother, father, sister and mom, I always tried to somehow in my mind make sense of their deaths.

“Oh well, my mom lived a good life and only suffered three moths before she died” “And at least she got to see her first grandchild before she died”

“And Joseph, well at least he didn’t suffer for years, no he died in four months”

Always trying to squeeze out a drop of sense from a tragic situation. Maybe sometimes that’s all we can do to try to move on and get through it all. Because if you can’t make some sense of it, the hurt will never leave you, and it will just take you down as well.

I know that my three cousins will try to make sense of their father’s death. And I know his spirit will live forever in all three of them. Because being without your parents is quite a lonely feeling, and we must try to find that bright spot no matter how dark it is.

Ron Lopez