It’s something that I can’t even imagine.
Hearing this morning that a 2-year-old was snatched by an alligator while wading in a foot of water next to his father at the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand Floridian Hotel, I was stunned. Literally, sick to my stomach, and I’ve been thinking about it all morning.
Those parents arrived with 3 children on their vacation from Nebraska: A family of 5 making memories together will eventually leave a family of 4. As a parent, it’s a loss that seems unimaginable.
What do you do as they search for your child, knowing the odds of good news are surely impossible? It’s heartbreaking. Thoughts of the child’s blanket, toys and clothes still in their hotel room, a room where they will eventually return and be faced with reminders of their sweet baby, flashed through my mind.
I can’t bare to think of the father’s last vision, as he attempted to rescue their sweet boy and fight off the gator. The father was also injured, but any parent would gladly take place with their children in a tragedy like this, who wouldn’t? I know the lump I feel in my throat when I can’t get my kids to answer the phone as worry sets in. To have knowledge that they are likely gone for good, and taken in a horrific way, is something parents just can’t process.
There are no words.
Parenting is one of life’s greatest gifts, and I treasure the moments I get to be with my boys. The idea that life is so fleeting is daunting. That one day this family is smiling for family photos at the parks at Disney, and the next day one of their most treasured gifts is gone is hard to accept. Our thoughts are with that family.
If you do one thing today, hug your children.
~Deb
