Joe, family and friends
It's two years today since we agreed to turn off Joe's life support.
He was 17 years old with everything to live for and it's still hard to accept that he died so tragically. The sense that it was so bloody unfair stays with me and it's still quite hard to believe; even though the sheer horror of those few weeks in hospital remains sharply etched into my memory.
There is nothing positive I can say about Joe's death. I'm not religious, I don't believe in a grand plan, I don't believe he has gone to a 'better place'. I wish I did and I envy people who do have a faith that allows them to think like that. It must be incredibly comforting. But I don't think that Joe's death in itself has meaning. There is nothing in what he suffered that makes any sense at all. It's just a random act of cruel fate. The like of which happens every day, all over the world.
But, in the aftermath of Joe's death, we have been able to find something positive in our lives, and that positive has been the love and support of our family and friends. They have listened to us and let us cry, comforted us and worried for us. It's a bit of a cliche but you really do find out who your friends are when tragedy happens. Those true friends are still with us two years on, still understanding and still offering comfort. We do love you for it.
I think our other children deserve a special mention. It's been a tough few years and a lot of death to deal with for ones who, though adults, are still so young, but they have coped amazingly well and we are very proud of them.
On a lighter note, they have been unfailingly patient with us too, as evidenced recently by the youngest's new communication tool. She still lives at home and is in the habit of texting me to let us know she is okay when she is out late, because we do worry about them all now. So she did this as usual the other night, then because she was even later she text us again. Unfortunately Anna was asleep so she didn't realise and then woke up and text Beth to say where are you? So, to make sure we both get the message in the future she has created a new Whatsapp group, made up of Beth, Anna, and me and she's called it the Beth Tracker.
That humour and that care is so important and our lovely kids give us much to be grateful for. (Not forgetting our beautiful grandson, Junior). They are kind, caring, considerate and we wouldn't have got through the last two years without them, or each other.
He was 17 years old with everything to live for and it's still hard to accept that he died so tragically. The sense that it was so bloody unfair stays with me and it's still quite hard to believe; even though the sheer horror of those few weeks in hospital remains sharply etched into my memory.
There is nothing positive I can say about Joe's death. I'm not religious, I don't believe in a grand plan, I don't believe he has gone to a 'better place'. I wish I did and I envy people who do have a faith that allows them to think like that. It must be incredibly comforting. But I don't think that Joe's death in itself has meaning. There is nothing in what he suffered that makes any sense at all. It's just a random act of cruel fate. The like of which happens every day, all over the world.
But, in the aftermath of Joe's death, we have been able to find something positive in our lives, and that positive has been the love and support of our family and friends. They have listened to us and let us cry, comforted us and worried for us. It's a bit of a cliche but you really do find out who your friends are when tragedy happens. Those true friends are still with us two years on, still understanding and still offering comfort. We do love you for it.
I think our other children deserve a special mention. It's been a tough few years and a lot of death to deal with for ones who, though adults, are still so young, but they have coped amazingly well and we are very proud of them.
On a lighter note, they have been unfailingly patient with us too, as evidenced recently by the youngest's new communication tool. She still lives at home and is in the habit of texting me to let us know she is okay when she is out late, because we do worry about them all now. So she did this as usual the other night, then because she was even later she text us again. Unfortunately Anna was asleep so she didn't realise and then woke up and text Beth to say where are you? So, to make sure we both get the message in the future she has created a new Whatsapp group, made up of Beth, Anna, and me and she's called it the Beth Tracker.
That humour and that care is so important and our lovely kids give us much to be grateful for. (Not forgetting our beautiful grandson, Junior). They are kind, caring, considerate and we wouldn't have got through the last two years without them, or each other.
Comments
Post a Comment