In my mother’s blog today she made reference to the sadness of parents who outlive their children. This was well-timed because a bunch of stuff came in a big jumble last night, so here goes nothing.

People talk about the tragedy of a parent outliving a child. It is sad when children die or when people die “too soon.” No doubt. When I’m sad lately, if I can sit with it long enough, that’s usually why. One minute Dad is watching Everybody Loves Raymond (or perhaps he was watching the presidential address–which, given his political sensibilities, makes for much better family folklore). The next minute he is lurching away and away.

On the other hand, sometimes when I hold my girl at night I think about Sally Field’s character in Steel Magnolias. At her daughter’s funeral she talks about being there when her daughter was born and being there when she died