She was the Sun: Loss Took the Light Becoming Brought it Back

The year was 2007. The sun was warm, the sky was clear, and everything felt safe. I was just a kid, barefoot in the yard, running around with my cousins, laughing like the day would never end. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Life felt simple. Normal.Then I heard my cousin call me inside. Her voice wasn’t mad or loud, but something about it made me stop. I didn’t think it was anything serious—I figured maybe there was food ready or something fun to do.As soon as I stepped inside, I knew something wasn’t right. The house felt different. It was quiet. Heavy. Like the air itself had changed.I saw my dad sitting on the couch with my little brother. But their faces weren’t the same. No smiles. No jokes. Just pale faces and sad eyes. My dad looked at me, opened his mouth like he was going to talk, but nothing came out right away.I sat next to him. His arms pulled me close, but it didn’t feel like the hugs I was used to. His arms were stiff, shaky.“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, barely getting the words out. “Your mom… is gone.”Gone.I didn’t get it. Gone where? Was she at the store? At a friend’s house? I waited for him to finish, to tell me more. But nothing else came. Just that. Gone.I let out this strange, awkward laugh. It wasn’t really laughter—it was just my body reacting because my brain couldn’t figure out how else to respond. But no one laughed with me. My dad looked down, my little brother stayed quiet, and everything in that room felt heavy.My cousin walked over and told me to come outside. I didn’t argue. I just followed her because I didn’t know what else to do.Outside, the sun was still shining. The breeze still felt the same. My cousins were still laughing in the yard, like nothing had changed. But everything had. At least for me.She crouched down and held out a flashlight. I watched as she opened the back and took out the batteries. Then she flipped the switch. Nothing. No light.“See?” she said softly. “When the batteries are gone, the light goes out.”I stared at it, confused.“That’s what happened to your mom,” she explained. “She lost her light.”I nodded. I didn’t fully understand, but part of me did. She was trying to help me get it in a way a kid could.My mom had always been the light in my life. Her smile, her laughter, her singing in the kitchen, the way she hugged me, the way everything felt better when she was around. And now… the light was just gone.I looked back at the yard. Same place. Same day. Same people. But I wasn’t the same anymore. Read more