Not Ready for Death

I was in a bookstore today and remembered a book someone had given me as a gift many years ago, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. I read it back then, liked it, then passed it on. I couldn’t remember much of it so I thought I’d buy it and read it again. I couldn’t find it in the “Literature” section, so I asked a clerk for help and he lead me to the book – in the “Death and Dying” section. After taking a copy off the shelves, I looked to see what else they had in the Death section.

There was a book titled, “Motherless Daughters”, written by a woman whose mother had died when she was about twelve. I skimmed through it. The author said a girl needs to have a mother – to share her excitement when she has her first crush on a boy, to console her when the relationship breaks up, to plan her wedding with her, be there when she has a baby, etc.

She said that losing her mother had a profound impact on her life and changed everything for her.

I thought about all these things and began to feel so sad for Josie. I thought of the things I wouldn’t be able to do for her. I started to feel for her as I would for a lonely, abandoned child.

But then I thought, my mother never did any of those mother things with me and I turned out just fine. So I left “Death and Dying” and went to the children’s section of the bookstore. Some cute picture books about rabbits and princesses put me right again.

I’m obviously not ready for Death and Dying. And neither is Josie.