Angela and I went to a 'seminar' yesterday. The salesman was so pushy he became an ass. I invited him to listen again to my words, stop selling, we're not buying today, maybe you can tell us about your family. He did, then ask us if we had any kids.
There are a broad range of answers we can offer. When asked and we tell strangers we lost our child, I've see a sense of guilt on peoples faces... feeling bad that they even asked: it's not their fault. (the salesman mentioned above was such a pushy cuss that I almost asked him to tell me about his kids and his ex-wife, who I learned died of breast cancer... thankfully I didn't match his aggression). Other times I've responded that we're empty-nesters, and it's often left at that. With this particular salesman, we just said 'no kids' and that was that. Interestingly I felt odd, like I had temporarily erased Madison. There really isn't a correct answer to the 'do you have kids' questions, and we'll continue to wing it.
I received a lovely email from a young woman who is in the Young Adults with Cancer group that Madi was in. They were her cancer peeps who took her to the Color Run in November. Reflecting on that, I saw pure joy in Madison, and I'm so proud of all of them and thankful for the memories and pictures that capture Madison's absolute joy that day, she is forever 21.
The young woman wrote about a conversation that she and Madison had late in the game. She wrote "Madison’s faith was so important to her and that legacy of faith for you and Angela was something we discussed often. Some of my last words to her, with tears streaming down down both our faces were, “well done my good and faithful servant”.
Amen, to that I say to you well done, and again thank you and your peeps for being her loving and supportive peers, for the Color Run memories, for everything you are to one another, was to Madison, and the new Madison's coming in to your group. Photos are at this link, thanks to Jan RN.
Love,
Chris
There are a broad range of answers we can offer. When asked and we tell strangers we lost our child, I've see a sense of guilt on peoples faces... feeling bad that they even asked: it's not their fault. (the salesman mentioned above was such a pushy cuss that I almost asked him to tell me about his kids and his ex-wife, who I learned died of breast cancer... thankfully I didn't match his aggression). Other times I've responded that we're empty-nesters, and it's often left at that. With this particular salesman, we just said 'no kids' and that was that. Interestingly I felt odd, like I had temporarily erased Madison. There really isn't a correct answer to the 'do you have kids' questions, and we'll continue to wing it.
I received a lovely email from a young woman who is in the Young Adults with Cancer group that Madi was in. They were her cancer peeps who took her to the Color Run in November. Reflecting on that, I saw pure joy in Madison, and I'm so proud of all of them and thankful for the memories and pictures that capture Madison's absolute joy that day, she is forever 21.
The young woman wrote about a conversation that she and Madison had late in the game. She wrote "Madison’s faith was so important to her and that legacy of faith for you and Angela was something we discussed often. Some of my last words to her, with tears streaming down down both our faces were, “well done my good and faithful servant”.
Amen, to that I say to you well done, and again thank you and your peeps for being her loving and supportive peers, for the Color Run memories, for everything you are to one another, was to Madison, and the new Madison's coming in to your group. Photos are at this link, thanks to Jan RN.
Love,
Chris
