How the Natasha Richardson tragedy can help you heal

“Life is precious.” "Life is often unfair." "Unthinkably horrid things happen to good and bad people alike." Trite and hackneyed as those statements may be, what else can one say upon hearing that a young mother, wife, daughter, beloved friend, and brilliant stage and film actress died suddenly because of a skiing accident? And what can one possibly say to all those who loved Natasha Richardson? If you follow this blog, you know I’ve written about this many times, and have copied many beautiful responses posted on CarePages that comprise the most compassionate messages of sympathy and empathy imaginable. I just want to offer another reminder to all of us, including myself, to not only honor the fragility of life and live in its present, not its past or future, but also to honor and appreciate each and every individual - human, canine, feline, or equine - we love. And to forgive those whose transgressions or slights, intentional or not, have wounded us. Make that phone call to an aunt you haven’t spoken with in weeks or months. Walk your dog tonight, even if you’re tired. Send a friend a “Just saying hi” email or greeting card. And perhaps most important, don’t let the fear that these kinds of incomprehensible happenings can inspire paralyze you. Don’t lock yourself indoors because you just read about a string of robberies. Don’t hold back your love because you’re afraid of being abandoned, either through design or death. And don’t stay away from someone who has been punched by cancer, unemployment, or grief, just because you don’t think you have the words to show how much you care. If you open your heart, love cannot help but gush forth. And love cannot help but inspire hope, healing, and yet more love. Thank you, Natasha Richardson, for opening my heart. And I am so deeply saddened by this tragedy, and will keep you and all who love you in my prayers. Always hope,rnLorirnProducer, Writer, and Author of Help Me Live: 20 things people with cancer want you to know www.LoriHope.com --rnA version of this post originally appeared on Lori's CarePages blog, "what helps. what hurts. what heals."