SO SICK
My baby girl has been very sick all day today. Baby is a relative term since she is 7, but when she is sick, she is really my baby.
It is heart breaking to see my child in pain, especially when there is very little I can actually do to heal the sickness. My role today was to comfort her as she went through it.
All I could do was say things like, “I’m so sorry, baby. I know this isn’t fun. I know your stomach hurts. Mommy is here.” As I squatted beside her tiny body curled over the toilet seat, it hit me that what I was doing and saying right then is what people need when their hearts are sick.
I am not suggesting you follow your friends and loved ones into the bathroom and hold their hands while they sit on the toilet. I am suggesting, though, that you make yourself available to them right where they are hurting.
We are often aware of the pains and struggles those close to us are facing, but we aren’t sure what to do about it, especially for things that cannot be fixed like loss or a broken heart. So many of us choose to pretend that everything is normal or ignore the obvious heartache of our friends and family because there is no solution.
What we need to do is be present and available. We can’t bring back lost loved ones or undo the hurts caused by others, but we can say, “I know it hurts. I’m sorry you are hurting. I’m right here.”