Loretta,

I will not try to say that I understand what you or your son are enduring right now. I have been lucky in 27 years that I have only had to see one friend pass before me.  While her death was tragic, it was from a rare, genetic disease and it was somewhat easier to handle as you could blame a disease for her absence.

I think that the way you are supporting your child through this tragedy is an amazing reflection of your nature and of your unrelenting strength as a mother. Once when a family member died and I was very upset, a friend said to me, "I have been driven to my knees many times, not because I was weak or because I could not endure, but because I had nowhere else to go."

I hope that your son realizes that expressing his emotions is what is healthiest right now and that through his trauma and his grief, he will find solace. Will he find understanding? I don't know. Although God works in mysterious ways, He chooses so in spite of our desires. However, He holds us in His arms when we welcome Him. From the way it sounds, you have shown your son how to be strong and how to welcome Him and all I can do for you is pray that solace finds you both soon.

With deepest sympathy,
Jarrod
Contributing Editor, Source of Title