Today's OneWord: Loss

I wanted to hold you in my arms, but all I could do was say, "I'm sorry for your loss." I wanted to dry your tears on the sleeve of my suit jacket, but all I could do was hand you a flimsy piece of tissue. I wanted to walk with you along the coast after the service was over, taking off my shoes and feeling the sand between my toes - a reminder that I was still alive, that you were still alive, that we were going to probably be alive for a long time, even while others died. But all I could do was watch you weep, and breathe in, and breathe out, and taste the air.