Walking Together Forever

When someone dies, it is always a difficult and sad situation..

Like many people, my heart is so heavy today. Kobe Bryant, his daughter and several others lost their lives in a helicopter crash.

To me, Kobe had always been special. He and I were born in the same year, same month, same day and same hour. He is also a PA boy, so, that made him even more special.

The newsfeeds have been non stop all day. His impact on basketball and on sports in general can never be denied. If you said Kobe or Black Mamba and people instantly knew who you were talking about.

But, he always said that his greatest role was not that of a basketball champion, but, as a father. The pictures, images forever frozen in time, of his interactions with his daughters portray a man who adored them.

My heart aches for his wife….

She is mourning the loss of a husband… a healthy 41 year old man standing at the cusp of the dawning of the second chapter of his life.

She is grieving the loss of a child….

A spouse who loses a partner is a widow

A child who loses a parent is called an orphan.

There are no words to describe a parent losing a child because it is an unspeakable shattering that words can never encompass.

Kobe apparently used a helicopter like most of us use our cars. They probably didn’t think twice about it.

Did she tell him she loved him as he left the house?

Did she hug him and nuzzle his neck?

Did she remind her daughter to take her things for practice as she ran out the door?

Since it was early, did he maybe run out the door, coffee cup in hand, telling her what time he would be back?

Was there ever a “no, don’t go” moment?

She has to now grieve a child, while being an entire universe to her surviving children.

My mind cannot begin to comprehend this and my heart cowers at the thought.

Most of us grieve our loved ones without the coverage and tributes. She cannot even do that… if she wanted a moment to just get lost in TV, she will be flooded with images of the souls of those who have flown away.

She has to protect her babies, the first instinct for any mother.

Did she take a moment before she told them the horrific news, knowing that from the next moment on, their lives would be rocked and never the same?

I think of Kobe…

As the helicopter lost control, did he look over at his daughter and feel helpless that he couldn’t prevent what was coming?

The seconds he realized it was inevitable, did he hold her in his arms trying to protect and comfort her as he was terrified?

When one soul left, did it wait for the other?

Daddy taught her basketball

Daddy walked her into Heaven

Life offers no promises of tomorrow