I feel like I’ve been exposed to a lot of death in my lifetime, a consequence of my parents’ responsibilities as eldest children in each of their respective clans. They’ve always taken care of other people and, as I was growing up, one of their biggest contributions was helping people through the loss of loved ones. My mom commented once that I had been to more funerals than weddings, a figure which may just now be balancing out. The more I’ve lived the more death I’ve been around, from friends to coworkers to family; usually I’m at least one step removed from the departed and I see the effects of sadness wear down the survivors.

My friend had to leave town suddenly because her niece had fallen very ill and was airlifted to the nearest city to be placed in the ICU. I assumed that everything was fine if hectic and that I would eventually get a phone call or an e-mail saying she was back in town but after several days passed I called to check. The next day I got the e-mail saying that it wasn’t okay, her eight-year-old niece had died in the hospital from a suspected case of meningitis. (more…)