Gosh Darn It. Sometimes Life Stinks! Big Time.
Adrienne
This gorgeous and vibrant young woman died Thursday. Age 36. The wife of the younger son of my Iowa friend Diana. The mother to the adorable boy Samuel Thomas born a mere fifteen months ago. A fabulous kindergarten teacher. In a split second Adrienne was gone.
She was unaware of a heart valve problem that was never diagnosed, never even detected, so her heart stopped in an instant and she died without hope of resuscitation. She was home. The baby was in his crib napping. And when her husband came home at the end of the day, he found her.
The grief is overwhelming. How does one cope with a loss that is so unexpected? What is the baby sensing?
Adrienne and Michael married in 2010, a wedding we went to Iowa to witness. A match that was perfect. They each waited a long time to find the right person and when they did, everyone knew Michael and Ade (as she was lovingly called) had found their lifetime partner.
Adrienne was the quintessential “ask a busy person to do one more thing” personality. Juggling teaching full-time (which she adored and the kids loved her too), to being a new mom and wife. No easy task but Ade did it all with grace and a sense of humor.
But today, her family and friends say goodbye. The service in the same gorgeous chapel in which she and Michael so happily wed. The pain everyone is feeling is so deep, deep to the core, still in shock, unable to comprehend how one minute someone is there. The next minute gone. Their faith is strong and I trust their faith and lots of family and friends gathering a ring around Michael and Samuel will keep him able to get from one day to the next. It won’t be easy.
I guess the old adage is true: always say I Love You as you walk out the door – to your spouse, your partner, your children, your best friend. Who knows if it will be the last time.
Sigh.
Oh EOS, that’s awful, just heartbreaking. Sigh.
Sigh. May she rest in peace.
This news is very sad. God calls us back at the time and place of his choosing. Condolences to the family
LA: Yes, that’s true but hard to accept sometimes why God calls when he does.
Oh my oh my. I am weeping reading this. Please tell Diana that we are sending our thoughts.
This is so heartbreaking to read. It is so important to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us. Each day, as often as possible. Our time is limited and these stories just remind us of that.
LetS: so very true. Thanks for saying so.
Such sadness
Oh, how heartbreaking. A reminder to not get caught up in all the bs and be truly present for the ones you love. Sending hugs and prayers your way.
Words tend to lose their meaning in times like this- but I recently saw a Wayne Dyer program on 13 and he had a woman who had been in a coma and returned because she had unfinished business- she said the other side was “a feeling of overwhelming unconditional love that was extremely difficult to resist”
Hi,
What a very sad story, my heart goes out to all the family and friends of Adrienne. I really feel so sorry for the husband, what an awful shock it must of been when he came home, I can’t even imagine what he must of went through, such a tragedy.
this is very hard to read and our hearts ache with them. after all, we just got to know diana in your post about her 65th birthday so in some sense, we are all part of her extended family now. will you go to Iowa?
Austin: and Diana feels my readers are part of her family too. Yes, I will go to Iowa but not right now.
This is a horrible sadness and shock. My heart goes out to the family. What a terrible start of a New Year for them. Sheesh.
So sorry to read about Diana’s daughter-in-law. This brought tears to my eyes. My thoughts are with the family.