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Faraway. Yet So Near. Yet So Far.

 Written by Pat Davis, kindergartenknowledge.com

 

There was a time when faraway meant growing older. I’ve been there. I am there. It is not so disconcerting.

There was a time when faraway meant finishing long years of study. Degrees. I’ve been there. I am past there. It is not so disconcerting.

There was a time when faraway meant marriage for many years. I’ve been there. I am truly there. It is not so disconcerting.

There was a time when faraway meant having a career that meant more than just going to work. School. Students. I’ve been there. I am there. I am almost past there. It is not so disconcerting.

There was a time when faraway meant having children. Love. Joy. Family. A Boy. A Girl. I’ve been there. I am there. It is so very, very disconcerting.

Our girl is not so faraway. She is wonderful and happy and resourceful and successful. She is everything that we ever dreamed that she would be. A daughter! Happiness! A beautiful ray of sunshine in our lives.

Our boy is so very, very faraway. Yes, that is why being there is so very, very disconcerting. Being there means that we are without our boy. He was our first child. The child with a smile so bright. The child who was clever and curious and fun. The child who was so happy to be a brother. Our son.

Faraway means that we lost him when he was only twenty-six. A car accident. Not his fault. A rainy night. Someone lost control and caused an accident. Our son was gone in an instant. It is true that when you lose a child…you lose part of your future. And yet, you see the future with so much clarity. Amazing clarity.

Clarity to actually feel the meaning of love. To yearn for something that you cannot touch. Clarity to reach out to the unknown. Clarity to believe in something that you cannot see. Clarity to trust that tomorrow will be better. And easier. Surprising that tomorrow does come and joy still surrounds us.

Our lives move forward. We learn to laugh again. Sometimes I think that our boy is close by. I feel that he is near. I feel that he is listening, watching, smiling, holding our hands.

Faraway. There was a time when I thought faraway was measured in miles. I’ve been there. I’ve been miles away. Yet…faraway is near. So very near. As near as reaching out for something that I cannot touch…reaching out for something that I can imagine…for something that I can remember. Faraway. Yet so near.

 

 

 

12 thoughts on “Faraway. Yet So Near. Yet So Far.”

    • Georgia, Thank you so much for your sweet comments! I appreciate your thoughts more than you can imagine.
      I’ve always enjoyed writing. I worked at newspapers after college until our children were born. Later, I started
      teaching part-time at our church Day School. I began teaching in public school when our daughter was beginning
      high school and our son was at UT-Austin. However, I always missed writing even though I dearly loved
      the children! Thank you again!!

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