For the second time in the past few years, I have close friends who have lost a child. While I think I know which situation I’d rather be in, I hope and pray that neither I nor anyone else I know has to go through it. In the first case, Sam was a few years old. He had personality. He had memories. His family had memories. His family had dreams for a future. I don’t know that he was old enough to have dreams like that.
This week, the situation was different. Julia was with us for 15 minutes. Not long enough for us to get to know her. Not long enough for her to know us. I’m sure she has personality, but we won’t see it here. She won’t have memories though. We won’t have memories of her smiling. Crawling. Walking. Giggling. Crying.
We’ll see Sam and Julia in heaven. Who knows … maybe they’re playing together? Looking forward to the day when they see their parents again. For them it may be the blink of an eye. For us, years … hopefully.
Each day with our children is a blessing unlike any other. Hold them close and treasure the time. I got to spend the whole day with Laura and Warren today. It wasn’t always a happy time, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This week I’m going to do my best to support my friends in their time of need. Friday I’m going to Julia’s funeral service. Saturday I hope to be at the gravesite. And next week, I’ll still be here for my friends.
