Tonight my heart is broken. It is broken for Maddie and for Thalon. It is broken for their parents, siblings, families, friends, and everyone who knew and loved these two amazing kids. This just isn’t supposed to happen.
I cried when I read about Maddie on Twitter. It’s a nightmare, my nightmare, the worst thing I can ever imagine. No one should ever lose a child. It’s more pain than anyone should ever have to bear.
I know these things happen every day, but it isn’t every day that I read about it. It isn’t every day that I read a first-hand account of the worst thing that I can possibly imagine. That’s the amazing thing about the blogging community. Somehow it makes it all more real. I guess that’s why it hurt even more to read about Thalon today. The tears started rolling and I had an uncontrollable urge to hug my daughter tight. She’s only a few months younger than Maddie and a little less than a year older than Thalon. The reality that I could wake up someday and not have her here was just too much.
I see reports of children dying on the news, either because they are sick or some horrible tragedy happens and even though it saddens me, it has never quite hit home like the tragedies that happened this week. It hurts so bad. It makes me question so many things – like why my life is so good and why my children are so perfectly healthy. It makes me question why I take these things for granted so often.
Tonight I’m hugging my kids extra tight, kissing them, and making sure they know just how much I love them and just how grateful I am to have them in my life. If ever tomorrow doesn’t come – for me or for them – I want to make sure they know that they are my world and I would never be the same without them.
My heart is forever changed. It may not be completely broken, but it will never be the same again. It hurts for every parent who has ever lost a child…and I know there are many. They are all in my thoughts and prayers tonight.
The online community has truly amazed me over the last few days. You can’t go on Twitter without seeing the hashtags for #maddie and #thalon. These babies, these families are so loved. So many have donated to March of Dimes, donated to help cover medical and funeral expenses, donated their time and energy to help in whatever way they can. Even though I sit over here in my own little corner of the web most days, I’m proud to be part of a community that cares so much about each other. It gives me a little hope in a world filled with sadness.
There is nothing that can take away the grief that these families are surely feeling, but if you want to help relieve some of the financial burdens that these families are facing, please follow the links below and donate what you can.
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