A Bittersweet Reunion

Yam is home from college for the long Labor Day weekend. It is a bittersweet reunion.

The sweet part is having her home; seeing and talking to her about her college experiences so far. She likes her classes and professors (bonus) and she has met people and made many new friends and they have participated in fun campus activities together.

One bitter part of the visit is the news Yam brought with her. One of her newly found friends died the day before she came home.

Kelly was wheelchair bound. I am not sure what her ailment was. Her mother moved down with her (she did not live in Kelly's dorm room. Kelly had a single room) to be near and help out when needed. Dad and a sibling were left behind in Michigan. Kelly became dehydrated so was put into the hospital where she died of liver failure.

This is the first time Yam has experienced this; the death of a friend. I have never experienced it. A similar event in my young life was the death of a girl I went to school with. We attended grades 1 through 12 together, yet we were never friends. She died in a car crash shortly after our graduation from high school. I remember hearing of her death. It was shocking to think some one I knew and was my age died. Only old people died.

I could not empathize with Yam's situation, but I could sympathize. Another bitter aspect of Yam's visit was my inability to hold her and comfort her as fully as I wanted to because of my fear of passing along the nasty cold germs.

I am going to throw caution to the wind, hug and kiss her as much as she needs and send plenty of cold meds and dietary supplements with her when she goes back to college.