It’s cold tonight and I sit with a warm cup of tea and my computer. Feeling a little melancholy, but maybe a little hopeful.
One of Jim’s colleagues lost their partner suddenly to a heart attack. She found him on the couch one morning after he had died in the night. She was shaken and grieving – and wasn’t get support from his family or her own.
I had given one of the monster wreathes to Jim and he had it hanging in his office at work – he thought it was silly, but fun. She told him that she would come down to his office just to see it since it made her smile. And it sounded like not much was doing that.
Hearing this, I bought some paper and googly eyes and made her a monster of her own.
I had Jim take it in and sent a card along expressing my condolences.
She replied with a happy email thanking me and sharing that she had this hanging on her office wall and smiled every time she looked at it. And that her partner had done origami and tried to make 1000 cranes for his niece. The legend tells that a gift like this is a wish for a long and happy life to the recipient – but he didn’t get to finish them.
I’ve never met her and in the course of things may not ever. I didn’t know her partner or anything about him.
But, there was a connection. And a chance to lessen someone’s grief, even if only in a small way and for a little while.
—
I found out that one of my former colleagues passed away suddenly over the holidays. She was one of the nicest and sunniest people I’ve ever met and I was sorry to see her leave the university – and sorrier still to hear about her passing.
I also found out that my uncle’s passing was somehow worse that we had first thought. It was dark and…well, unthinkable.
And death has been in the news with many celebrities passing suddenly and the ever present tragedy of lives cut short through violence.
And nothing we can do about so many of these.
But, with a little bit of paper and some good intentions, I helped at least one person get through a difficult time.
It’s not much, but it’s enough.