One Year Later

My family's car accident took place one year ago yesterday. It's been a tumultuous year since then, to say the least. My parents continue to cope with the permanent injuries sustained to my mom, and the heightened vulnerability they pose to her health and quality of life.

While I think about them all the time, I've only been able to make it out to California three times since then (my next visit is later this summer), so for me, the adjustment is still in process and I don't very far along in the process of grieving. One poignant piece to that mourning was these past few weeks with my cousins on the East Coast for two weddings; these sorts of family gatherings and travel-related fun are part of what has been lost as a result of the accident.

At the risk of sounding preachy, schmaltzy, or overly serious: life is precious, and I for one see little point in wasting what little of it we have with mindless entertainment or petty complaining. There is a richness to the texture of a life truly lived, rather than shielding or numbing oneself against its very real hurts, or failing to hold fast to what is good even and especially in the midst of all that is bad. And so, one year later, here's to my family and here's to life.