Three. The Triad—heaven-human-earth; past-present-future—the number three is significant as a prime number in mathematics, the spatial dimensions of science, the Holy Trinity of Christianity. For me, the number three represents the third day in October of my son’s birth and the third anniversary of his death. And it also became a gift.
This article was originally published on Open to Hope, a website whose mission is to help those who have suffered a loss to cope with their pain and invest in the future.
To most folks, Aug. 6, 2005, was an ordinary day, but for me it became the worst day in my life. I woke up that morning expecting to celebrate my birthday; instead, I learned of my youngest son’s death. Despite the fact that I had many loving family members and friends, I found myself feeling isolated and numb. It took so much of my energy just to make it through each day that I had nothing left for anything else. (more…)
This article was originally published in “We Need Not Walk Alone,” the national magazine of The Compassionate Friends.
The culmination of all the training runs…the throng of like-minded people…the crack of the starting pistol…ah, race day jitters! Nothing could motivate me more than the start of a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or triathlon back in the day. That was then. Back then, I never looked up. I never noticed the blueness of the sky. I never noticed the vastness of the stars. I never paid attention to the sun rise. I never saw the craters of the moon. That was then. (more…)