I’ve taken a couple of days to process the helicopter crash that took the lives of nine beautiful souls on Sunday. We lose celebrities all the time. Princess Di. Michael Jackson. Prince. Whitney. Robin Williams. They all strike us in some way.
Kobe was an icon. Whether you liked him because of his prowess on the court or disliked him because of what allegedly happened in Colorado 17 years ago…his name and reputation are large and his loss will be felt by many for years to come.
That’s not what I needed to process, though. He left with his beautiful 13-year-old daughter…a rising basketball star in her own right. He left along with other moms and dads and kids and a coach and pilot. And while we pray they didn’t suffer in their last moments, they have left behind a wide swath of devastation that may never, ever be overcome. They left their families behind.
I know from firsthand experience what a snatch death is like. ANY death is hard to take…ANY loss. I am not comparing. But to brutally lose someone in a fiery crash when an hour earlier they were perfect and beautiful and happy and healthy and you hugged them goodbye is…unimaginable.
Vanessa Bryant and her husband brought four beautiful girls into this world. Celebrity or not…wealthy or not…it doesn’t matter. She is now a widow and to top it off, she lost one of her babies. She is a member of a club she never, ever asked for. She is left to raise three daughters…ages 17, 3, and 7 months.
Someone lost their mom. Someone lost their dad. Someone lost their…everything.
It takes time to process that and just because it did not happen to you and you did not know them personally, something like this can shake you up and stir those old familiar grief waves. If this has happened to you, please don’t think there is something wrong with you. It’s normal to be hypersensitive to these kinds of things after loss.
Be gentle with yourself. And send up lots of prayers for those coming up behind us.
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“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalms 34:18 NIV