My Greatest Fear as A Father

I really couldn’t sleep well last night. It was weird. For some reason, this celebrity death hit different. I was super emotional all day after. As an athlete, specifically a basketball player, Kobe was one of the players everyone my generation wanted to play like (Either him or Jordan). He played hard and gave everything he had. But now as a father, to know he was in the helicopter crash  with one of his daughter strikes a serious nerve.  The way he interacted with his girls, the way he talked about them, showed he truly, unconditionally loved them. One of my greatest fears is not being able to protect my family. I think that one of every father’s/husband’s greatest fear. Kobe, along with Coach John Altobelli, lived through that fear in real life and I know it’s what hurting me the most.

We all grieve different. We all have feelings. Even though I didn’t know Kobe, his daughter Gianna, or any of the others involved in the terrible crash, I’m still sad. You don’t get the opportunity to tell someone how to feel. We all react to different situations differently. Console and be there for them. There’s a little kid who just lost his idol. There is a generation who grew up watching him on TV and we’re all hurting in some way.

Those are all the words I have because it still hurts. Even writing about Kobe in a past tense feels unreal.

Rest in Peace Kobe and Gianna Bryant, John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli,  Sarah and Payton Cheste,  Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.

GB