Keeping It Together After a Tragedy

I haven't watched much of the Olympics but upon reading about the performance of Canadian skater Joannie Rochette after her mom unexpectedly died of a heart attack two days earlier, I watched the performance online. I found it to be moving.

A Death Remembered

Some 10 years ago I was at Southview Elementary School where my son Ryan was a fifth-grader. I was there for the school spelling bee competition. Ryan was in the final rounds. After misspelling himself out of the competition he walked over and sat on my lap, which was very nice. But he was only there for a few minutes when he began stealing glances at a young girl sitting on the floor nearby. He soon got down from my lap and sat next to her on the floor, and they held hands. What a transition. It was one of those memorable moments when you realize your child isn't really a child anymore.

That girl was Jordan Wilson. Her mom Jennifer died yesterday from colon cancer. She was only 42. Prayers for the family.