Former WWE star Stacy Keibler is reflecting on the “sacred gift” of life following the death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash earlier this month. On Wednesday, just a little more than two weeks after Bryant and eight others were killed when their helicopter crashed into a California hillside, Keibler shared an emotional post to Instagram.
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“[Kobe Bryant’s] sudden passing should be a reminder to all of us that life is a sacred gift that should never be taken for granted,” she wrote in part, sharing a quote from Dr. Habib Sadeghi that have “touched me to my core.”
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“We should take nothing for granted because none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. Yes, we all know this but do we really live it?” the quote, from Sadeghi’s own tribute to Bryant, reads. “How many of us drive off for work in the morning with the unfounded assumption that we’ll return that evening? Do we tell our spouses or partners that we love them before walking out the door? Do we connect with them in loving ways throughout the day and year instead of waiting for special occasions? Do we take note of what others do for us and express our gratitude to them? Can housework wait because the kids want you to play ball in the backyard for an hour?”
Saying that “sudden loss is also call for us to get our house in order,” the quote adds that “things left unsaid can never be spoken after death, and there is no grief deeper than one that is burdened with guilt and regret” and advises that “a good way to start the process” is to write out “‘If I died today, I would regret…’ and make a list of all the necessary things” and “‘I should have said ___ to ___ because ___.’”
“The things you’ve wanted to do but not done and the relationships that need healing or closure; that’s your better life To Do list. Get busy,” it added.
“Lastly, hidden within loss is the gift of appreciation,” the quote continues. “Once the pain and tears have passed we don’t have to remain sad because something we love is over; we can be happy because it happened! We can allow ourselves to be uplifted by the gratitude we feel for being fortunate enough to have had such a loving mother, strong husband or generous grandfather or engaged in experiences that most people never get to have. Gratitude is the antidote to grief, and there is no greater way to honor those we’ve loved and lost than to acknowledge daily how they blessed our lives.”
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others, including two of her teammates, had been traveling to a Mamba Sports Academy basketball game when their helicopter encountered dense fog and crashed. There were no survivors. The crash has been ruled accidental.
