teach

There are no grades that are given for how we handle life's lessons, but surprisingly, among all of the everyday world we occupy, there are some unwitting souls who become the most inspiring teachers.

A woman in our community died today. She was diagnosed late October and gone today, June 4th -- her daughter's 16th birthday. Our daughters grew up together, same elementary, in sports, small community. They weren't tight friends, but they were the fabric sewn into the daily tapestry of each other's lives. Elaine, their mom, was not a close friend, but I knew her from years of attending school events, play dates, field side cheering at lacrosse games.

The most standout quality of Elaine was how devoted she was to her children, her husband, her family. She was always incredibly reasonable when mishaps or girl drama arose, pleasant to chat with in passing, and a very obvious huge heart with her dedication to training aid dogs with such warmth but clarity of purpose that I was in awe of her abilities. How do you nurture, love, and put your all into something just to let it go -- but that speaks volumes about who she was as a person. I wasn't even an intimate friend but could see that she put everything she had into everything she did. It seems so hard to fathom how life works sometimes and why someone with such a positive energy in the world ends up leaving it far too soon.

Her family has been active during her illness, despite their constant worries and fears. Her daughters were strong, warm, and functioned through a ridiculously impossible reality with the same purpose and clarity of their mother. Her husband, who managed to keep three teenage girls functioning, work, be by her side, was nothing but gracious and kind each time you saw him. He would open his heart up and give updates, and it was hard not to want to pull him into a massive hug because you could only imagine the amount of turmoil and pain he must be going through as he engages in this everyday conversation. Unfathomable. Grace, in the truest sense, is how I would describe every one of their family members.

I'm not sure of their immediate support system, but I know they have an entire community that holds them in the thoughts, prayers, and hearts. I hope they can feel the love that is pouring out to them and know that as witnesses to their grace and perseverance on an everyday basis, they are regarded with so much awe and respect. We are truly students in this life and this family have become teachers without even knowing it.