Beware the Ides of March

Yesterday, March 15, 2010, was a crazy day. I suppose it could only be expected: Historically, it was the Ides of March, the day Julius Caesar was killed. It was also supposed to be the day the world was going to end, according to the rumors on Facebook; at the very least, Facebook was supposed to crash or something.

Although neither the world nor Facebook ended, it was not a happy day in my world. It started out just fine and I ran several errands. Then I went home to relax before work. About that time I got a phone call with some very bad news. A four year old boy I knew had passed away. Out of respect for the family I will not mention who he is; it is still too much of a shock.

Of all the phone calls I have ever received, I don’t think one has ever shaken me so much. How could a child, so young, be dead so suddenly? It’s devastating. I think the worst part is that the family had so little time with their son.

Monday night the boy awoke from a bad dream and started to cry. His mother brought him to her room. He had a seizure, stopped breathing, and lost consciousness. He was brought to a hospital and put on life support. When he was stable they brought him to the local children’s hospital. He never regained consciousness and was determined to be brain dead. I can’t even imagine the heart-wrenching decision of the next step. The family has decided to donate his organs to those who need them. Hopefully someone can be saved in this little boy’s place.

I called Roy and told him the news. It was the first of a lot of bad news. Roy told me that one of his coworkers had also gone to the hospital that day because he had stopped breathing. Luckily the waterpark Roy works at has proper equipment to handle this type of thing and they were able to stabilize him by the time the ambulance arrived. I also found out that a friend was beaten up by her ex-boyfriend. Then I found out that a coworker had gotten into a bad accident (she, at least, was doing much better).

By the end of the day my emotions were kind of shot. How does such a simple day, full of errands and contentment, become so crazy? I had spent my day shopping and exploring antique stores. I had found a dog and returned him to his grateful owners. I bought a few nice things for myself. Until 2 pm I had had a great day.

At least in the midst of all the bad news I learned one good thing: A coworker, who is eight months pregnant, was going to marry her fiancé with a simple service. They married today. I am going to make them a cake when I get the chance.

This news gave me hope. Despite all the bad things I had heard, one of my friends had a good thing happen to her. It made me happy. The world will continue, and all personal problems will be healed with time and patience. I am grateful for the love and support of my family, and I know that I will be healed as well.