A dad writes a letter about his deceased son: his words are heart-breaking but worth reading
Our loved ones are the most important people for us in the world, no matter what: we often focus solely on the future and financial well-being, forgetting that true satisfaction lies in having a loving and close-knit family.
We should spend our time making memories with the people we love, knowing it might be the last time we do so. A man who worked hard every day to ensure the best standard of living for his family found this out, to his expense.
via Upsocl
JR Storment, founder of a technology company, received a phone call with the sad news that his son, Wiley, had passed away in his sleep due to complications related to a mild form of children's epilepsy. At the time of the call, JR was in a conference with 12 other people. A little earlier, he had spoken to colleagues about how much he had wanted to organize a vacation with Wiley and his twin. He now considers the eight years he put it off as "wasted".
Upon receiving the sad news, JR immediately left the office and headed home. He had to wait two and a half hours to privately say goodbye to his son, as the coroner had to carry out an autopsy before releasing the body. "We stood there with him for about 30 minutes, stroking his hair, before they came with a stretcher to take him away. I held his hand and his forehead through the bag as they carried him up the driveway," JR said.
JR decided to share his experience in an open letter published on LinkedIn, where he offers advice to all parents: "My advice is to hug your children, spend more time with them and not work late. I imagine many of you have meetings throughout the day with co-workers, but have you scheduled time with your children on a regular basis? If there is one lesson to be learned from this sad story, it is to remind others, myself included, not to lose sight of what really matters."
“As I sat here writing this post, my son, Oliver, came in asking for my attention. Instead of saying the usual 'no', I stopped writing immediately and asked if I could play with him. He was happily surprised by my response and we connected in a way that I would have missed beforehand. The little things matter. One silver lining of this tragedy is the improvement of the relationship I have with my surviving son," JR continued.
"Life is short and we can't waste it just working. We never know if we'll wake up tomorrow or how long we have left to live. Always keep in mind that your children are the most important thing in the world and they should always be yours priority. Create wonderful memories with them that will last forever. Never go to sleep without telling them how much you love them," JR ended.
This tragic experience has led to JR and his wife having a stronger bond with their surviving son and a greater sense of the value of spending quality time with one's family: valuable lessons that should never be underestimated.
