A great piece in the New York Times today: How do you parent without a future, knowing that you will lose your child, bit by bit?
A great piece in the New York Times today: How do you parent without a future, knowing that you will lose your child, bit by bit?
As a parent who has lost a child, I can emphasize with these emotions. Some days are filled with hope but others seem hopeless. Some days you are elated (but not sure why) and others you don’t know if you can carry on. The time was shorter but I know one thing for sure, I would not give up one single moment of the life I had with Deanna for anything. I love her as much today as the day she was born. She had a greater impact on my life than any one person ever has.
As painful as this experience is for Emily Rapp, she must let go of the pain to see the gift than Ronan has brought into her life. Ronan has reminded her of life’s value and how critical it is to be grateful for even the faintest of breaths. She can have wonderful memories of this experience with Ronan, if she chooses, or she can hold onto her grief like a crucifix. This is an opportunity for her to practice what Ronan is able to do automatically, to practice what I call, Jesus Love which is to love profoundly, but without an attachment to the object of love. This is an opportunity for an awakening.
Thank you for this.
I would love to hear about your reflections in reading it and what about it prompted you to post it.
Thanks Matt, for sharing this mind-blowing article. From my heart I felt for Emily Rapp and her son, Ronan. It also changed my idea(small) of parenting.
as a father that breaks my heart. Every day i spend with my daughter watching her develop into her own. Its amazing, i cant imagine the strength you must have as a parent to a child who has Tay-sachs. My heart goes out to them.
Thank you, an inspirational article. Challenges parents of any child, love in the here and now, and maybe not be so worried about the long term future of our children but loving the best we can now and cherishing each small moment. It also makes us ask ourselves who am I as a parent, what is my role, what can I learn about myself in even the most difficult tasks as a parent?