Words Are Not Enough

Despite the large number of words that pass out of my fingers each day, and out of my mouth, I don't always have the right ones. Like anyone else, I grapple with being more assertive when necessary, or finding the right words in awkward situations. And even though I think I am a warm, caring, person who can express herself reasonably well on paper, when life happens to people I love, my words are not nearly enough.

I found out this morning that a new friend of mine has lost her father, someone I didn't know. What do you say to this? I sat at my computer, mouth to my hand, tears forming in my eyes. Had she been my neighbor, I might have checked to see if she was awake and trudged over for a long and comforting hug. But she's not even in our city, much less our state, at the moment, and because of the shock of the news, I threw out a standard line of being sorry for the loss.

It is not the worst thing that anyone can say at a time like this, but it isn't the greatest, either. But being put on the spot, it was the best I could do. Now that I've had time to think about everything, there are so many better things that I could say. The one I'm going to say is this:

And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, You owe me. Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the sky. ― Rumi

Love for a parent and love from a parent, things that change with the years but never waver, are as capable of lighting up the sky as the sun is. Put those together with the memories of that loved one and you've got enough light for a million or more years.

Hugs and prayers and lots of love and light to you, my friend.