Like the rest of the world, my family was shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Kobe today. I cannot and will not claim to be a basketball aficionado or even to care much about the sport at all. However, John passionately loves basketball and Kobe is a hero and a legend to my young teen. We were out this afternoon without John, when he called Honey completely shaken asking if the news was true. When your kid grieves, you grieve.
I struggled to come up with words that would make sense of this tragedy. To answer the why? how? what now? questions we were asked. Nine people suddenly lost their lives and I can’t fathom the heartache of the parents, children, wives, husbands and friends left behind, after all.
And so, I fell back on my old stand-by. I urged John to look at the world, fans, teams, rivals, actors, news casters, and people coming together tonight – and in the days to come – to celebrate the legacy of a man who was the best at his craft. A husband, father, friend, athlete and hero to many. I asked him to remember that every single day people lose loved ones in tragic, senseless acts, and also just because their time here on earth was temporal and complete. And, most importantly, I reminded him to never forget that every day we get here, with each other, is a gift and that tomorrow is never guaranteed, no matter who you are, how legendary you became, or how many people loved you.
This was the first loss I think he felt personally. No, he never met Kobe or even saw him play. But, he was inspired by him, could rattle off a bazillion facts and stats about him, and admired him. I understand his grief and assured him it is completely normal. When we took John to NYC for his 13th birthday trip, he wanted to get a Lakers jacket from the NBA store as his gift. He poured through every last Lakers item in the store before choosing this, and has proudly worn it since.
Sending love and hugs this Sunday night… let’s all make the most of tomorrow and the day after and so on and so forth.
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