In the blink of an eye

There are things in life that, when they happen, it just makes us wander why… why could something so terrible happen to someone so fragile and so full of life? And then it hits us. Life changes in the blink of an eye. Sometimes so dramatically that there are no more changes. Life not only happened, it ended.

Having a younger sister is for me, more than having a friend to share stories with, is having someone I can help walk the steps I had skipped, those I didn’t know were there or just avoided, and those that I wish someone would have told me about. So, when a cliff just happened to appear out of nowhere, when life changes in the blink of an eye, I want to be there for her, hold her hand and tell her everything will be alright.

But, miles away from been able to be her shoulder to cry on, to hold her hand and tell her it was in her friend’s life story to only see eighteen candles, it ‘hits home’ and shakes my entire core. How can I tell my younger sister that life just happened, that it was her friend’s time… I’m just out of words, go figure. I’ve never learned what to say, how to deal with it and it keeps shaking my core. I’ve been coaching my sister, pushing her to pursue her goals, to never give up, follow her dreams, and I can’t find the words to be there in this time of sorrow.

I hope she knows that, although I can’t find the words, I’m here for her. That I hope that losing a friend makes her value life and opportunities even more than before. That she finds the strength to keep going and understand that, although life is fragile and sometimes brake, there will be light at the end of the tunnel…

In honor of Miguelina Pomales, RIP