Yesterday a man was walking his daughter to kindergarten when they were both struck by a car and killed. I saw the local headline yesterday morning and skimmed over it. Yesterday evening I found out that this was someone that Howard had met before. I too have a Kindergarten daughter. I’ve hugged her lots today. I’ve hugged my other kids too. I spend a majority of my days doing things for my kids and requiring things of them. Sometimes I get to the end of the day without once really looking at them or enjoying who they are.
I believe that families are reunited after death. Not everyone does, but I do. This man and his daughter are not gone forever. But that does not prevent friends and family from mourning their absence. Sometimes I look at a particular child and ponder what life would be like if somehow that one were taken from me. It is always a tearful contemplation that ends with me having to go hug the child in question. I’m afraid of losing a child. I’m afraid of losing Howard. Not because they’ll be gone forever, but because I’ll miss them so terribly while we are separate.
There aren’t words for this kind of thing. No-one should have their life terminated like that. The car-driver will live with the knowledge that they killed someone for the rest of their life and chances are that’s punishment enough, for all except the terminally stupid or ultimately thick-skinned. One hopes that they’ll be a good deal more careful in future.