Sadness & Inspiration

”Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run on January 13, 2014. As an avid runner, member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, and Boston marathoner, she was a member of the running family nationwide. In her honor, our hope is to raise awareness of drunk driving, texting and driving, and overall safety of runners and cyclists everywhere.”  Source: Meg’s Miles FB page

I’m feeling sad this morning. While the tremendous and global outpouring of support for this event is uplifting and impressive, my heart is very heavy for the loss of this young woman. That her children will grow up without her, that her husband has lost his partner, that her many friends will miss her presence is really too tragic to think about without being sad.

I have thought about it all week. I have wanted to write about it all week but, honestly, I’ve been unable to express how I feel. There simply are no words, and yet trying to articulate the jumble of emotions I feel is what brings me comfort.

I didn’t know Meg, but I can identify with her. It’s that “mother thing.” Once you become a Mom, your lens is forever changed. I find myself projecting others’ situations or events into my life. What would I do? How would my family be affected? I don’t know why this is. Perhaps it’s a coping mechanism, or a way to prepare for unforeseen tragedies that could befall one at any time.

Looking at Meg’s FB page, there are pictures of a recent trip to Disney and the kids in front of the Christmas tree. The family with arms around each other. All smiles. No idea that in a mere few weeks their worlds would be forever changed. But who would expect it, really? We cannot spend every minute worried that it may be our last. We can only live in the moment, and enjoy it, and be grateful for it.

I found this blog post, If I Die on Monday, to be especially lovely and really capture a lot of what I was feeling. What happens in the aftermath of a tragedy like this? If I were to die, what would I want for my family?

I think about Meg’s morning and what it must’ve been like. Did she brush the hair back from her sleeping babes and kiss them before she left for her run? Or were they awake and she poured them a bowl of cereal before she left? Did she and her husband enjoy a cup of coffee before lacing up her running shoes? Did she holler “Be back in a little while” over her shoulder as she headed out the door?

So, while I feel tremendous sadness for the family of this woman I’ve never met, I also feel inspired by Meg and how she lived her life. It was short. She was only 34. She was Christian. She loved and was loved. I’m inspired to recognize my blessings…every.single.day…and not take any of them for granted.

What I learned today: The banality of every day is what makes it special.