After Friday’s horrific events in Connecticut, I have to ask Why?
I’ve asked “Why?” several times this year – after the shootings at the Aurora movie theater and the Portland mall and after my husband passed away suddenly on May 10, 2012 from an undiagnosed medical condition.
Two years ago, my family went on a Christmas Cruise with my husband’s family. We visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, strolled along the beach in St. Maarten, and went to Nassau in the Bahamas on Christmas day, 2010.
This year, my two teenage daughters and I are facing Christmas without their dad.
And once again, I have to ask Why?
I don’t know the answer. But I know that my daughters and I have been very fortunate to receive so much love and support from our family, friends, fellow church members, neighbors, co-workers, and teachers.
home that night. The next morning, two of my husband’s business associates showed up at
our front door with a sandwich tray and news that they had just created a
scholarship fund for our daughters at a local bank. That day we continued to
receive dozens of flowers, plants, calls, cards and donations to the
scholarship fund along with many food items.
were a blur – planning a funeral, selecting a casket, writing my husband’s
obituary. I was supposed to being seeing the new movie “The Avengers” with my family that day, not planning my husband’s funeral.
helped me deal with the sudden loss of my husband. Within hours of hearing the
news, my cell phone was flooded with calls and text messages from friends from
all over the country. When I checked my computer later that night, I had
received many emails along with Facebook messages and tweets, all expressing
sympathy.
former co-workers, people I had gone to college with years before, and my
husband’s business associates from all over the country. I also received
Facebook messages from several of the foreign exchange students that we had
hosted while my daughter was in high school.
my friend Lynn who lives in Illinois and I had
met at a Glee concert in Chicago in June 2011. Receiving
all these messages from so many people helped me get through this difficult
time.
Donna Volkenannt says
Hi Leslie,
My heart goes out to you and your family. I will keep you in my heart and prayers that 2013 will be a better year.
Blessings,
donna
Leslie in Little Rock says
Thank you Donna. I really appreciate it. Our daughters flew to Kentucky to visit my husband's family the day after Christmas. I hope you and your family had a good holiday!