AND IN A NEW YORK MINUTE NOTHING REMAINS THE SAME.
The white rabbit knew that – we have always heard it, but do we really believe it? If we are lucky our lives go on and on for years, and of course things change, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse, but for the most part nothing really life-changing happens that we didn’t anticipate, and then in one minute (even in one second) of your life EVERYTHING can change. In just one minute you can turn on your TV and see that the twin towers in New York just collapsed from a terrorist attack, and none of us could believe it would have ever happened. Or like today every school in the Los Angeles school district, along with charter schools and most private schools were closed because of a threat of violence to the students…it is so hard to believe that our children can be targeted.
For some parents one minute they can be talking to a friend, while standing in the sun, with their tiny child standing right next to them, and one second later their precious child is lying on the ground dead from a stray bullet – so absolutely horrible and senseless, but it happens. Life is so very precious, and so very fleeting at times. During this holiday season I just want to remind everyone to treasure every single moment you are graced with. Embrace your loved ones. Every moment is precious, and every moment you have with the ones you love is a gift.
For Steve and I, the moment we found Morgan’s lifeless body on Friday, December 2, 2011 our lives changed and were never to be the same again. We knew then that we would never have another moment in which we could hug her, or hear her come in the front door and say, “Hi guys, I’m home.” We would never again hear her infectious giggles, or hear her playing the piano. We felt like this reality just couldn’t be, all of a sudden our youngest daughter was no longer with us and never would be again. We thought surely we would wake up out of this nightmare, but we never did…this was our new reality.
Four years ago today this little fairy tree (see picture below) was given to Steve and I for our first Christmas without Morgan. Every little fairy ornament on the tree was handmade by one of Morgan’s cousins, Aunts and Uncles. They also made little baskets out of construction paper with little handwritten notes tucked inside each one. The notes were all written to Morgan about how much they loved her, and why they thought she was so special to them. For two parents like Steve and I, parents still in shock and not wanting to celebrate anything, this was a magical tree. On Christmas morning when we awoke and read all the little notes on that tree, all the love and magic of Christmas came rushing back, along with an abundance of tears. This was the kindest gift we had ever received. We love our family! ❤
