It's So Hard To Say Good-Bye

Last week I had a wake up call...one of my best friends (of 14+ years) lost her father. I don't know if I've just been living in my own little world or if others share my same feelings, but it was up until this moment that I felt like my parents were going to be around for a very long time...as if they were going to live forever. Don't get me wrong, I've lost friends before. I even lost my grandfather in 2004. So, I know that death happens. But, it just doesn't seem the time for me to say good-bye is just around the corner. And I know that this doesn't mean that it is, just that it could be.

I drove to Dallas last week to say good-bye and to support my friend. On the way back, I had a lot of time to think. While in my car, I thought about all of the things that I've accomplished during my lifetime, the things my parents have witnessed and have been able to be proud of me for: the major things like graduating high school, graduating college (1st one in my immediate family) and finding the man of my dreams & getting married...the less than major things like getting my drivers license, making my high school drillteam (and making officer my senior year), getting good grades, moving out on my own, getting a job, etc. But then I began to wonder, how many more accomplishments are my parents going to be around to witness?

It's sad to think that my parents may not be around for every momentous occasion in my life. It's very hard to imagine them not being there when they always have been. I know they say that when a loved one leaves us, that they are always with you, but I just can't imagine going thru something like having a baby and not being able to see the look on my parents' faces when their grandchild is brought into the world, or the day Eddie and I finanlly get to move back to Dallas and not being able to hug my Mom because her daughter has FINALLY moved back home.

It's a hard thing, loosing a parent. I may not know from personal experience, but I can only imagine. So, for that, my heart goes out to my friend (and her family).