By Krystal Sieben 
I remember being little and my mom crying when Roy Orbison died. I remember thinking, What’s the big deal? He’s just some old guy.
He was 52.
Today, I was sitting in the school pickup line waiting for my seventh grader when I opened social media and saw James Van Der Beek had passed away. And my first thought was, Oh, my God. He’s my age.
I remembered college nights watching Dawson’s Creek after 90210. I remembered rewatching it years later when I had my first baby and was up all night trying anything just to stay awake while he wouldn’t sleep. I remembered seeing him on Dancing with the Stars, how much he loved being there, how excited he looked.
And it hit me how strange it is to grow up alongside someone you never actually knew.
College. Marriage. Babies. Growing older.
Their life moving on the same timeline as yours.
When someone on your same path leaves early, it doesn’t just feel sad. It feels personal. It feels like time tapping you on the shoulder.
We’re not the young ones anymore. We’re in it. This middle stretch that once felt so far away.
And suddenly, you understand your mom a little better.
Originally published on the author’s Instagram page
James talked about his cancer journey in a poignant Instagram post on his 48th birthday—watch it below.
by Whitney Fleming 
by Her View From Home 
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