As soon as I heard the poor man who died in a construction accident was from Milford, I reacted as I always did. I quickly ran my mind down all the names of my students to see if the last names matched, then started thinking if I knew any students in our school who had the same last name. I couldn't match it up and with a sigh of relief went on with my life.
Then I went to school yesterday and heard the news.
The man, who was so young at only 47 years old, was the father of one of our 5th grade students. The father of a young boy, my own son's age. A father who had left his home Thursday morning to go to his job, just like every other day, taking for granted that the family would be back together that night.
But they weren't.
The little boy wasn't in school yesterday. Nobody was surprised by that. On the 8th he will walk the red carpet for our promotion ceremony bidding his elementary days goodbye and moving on to the next phase of his life. Without his dad. At 11 years old.
All day I couldn't help, but keep thinking of this tragic situation. I couldn't imagine the pain of having to tell your kids that their dad has died. He was my son's age. I can't fathom my son growing up without his dad.
The past couple of days I've been holding my kids a little tighter. Been a little more patient. Smiled at them more, and laughed with them often. Today I'm turning off the computer, ignoring the piles of laundry, skipping the sweeping in exchange for hanging out with my kids for the day. We are going to enjoy the beautiful day together.
Because...
Life is short.
Life is unpredictable.
Life is a gift.
Take time to enjoy your loved ones today because tomorrow isn't a guarantee.
Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers!!
