Pretty quickly, I realized the worst role of all was to be one of the bystanders. In that role, it was almost impossible not to freak out. I learned then what I have learned in many other ways over the course of my life: that when we’re in the presence of someone else’s pain, the burden of not-doing is so much greater than the burden of doing. Doing lifts the burden. Even if it’s a small thing. Like writing a letter.
