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Friday, December 14, 2007

How to lose a child...

Unimaginable.

However; I find myself thinking frequently about the death of a child during this time of year. I’m not morbid. It’s because I know four families that have celebrated their first Thanksgiving without one of their precious children. And they will soon be celebrating Christmas without them too. Then they’ll march right into a New Year missing a piece of their heart, whether they want to or not. Life moves forward. It doesn’t stop, just because they’ve been devastated by the loss of their baby. Holidays and celebrations swirl all around them, yet they are grieving a horrible loss. I cannot imagine.

I watch how each family grieves differently. One family has expressed how much they are looking forward to the comfort of being with family and friends during Christmas despite the huge hole that will be felt by all because their six year old son no longer exits on this earth. Another family has secret plans for Christmas deciding they will NOT put up a tree, exchange gifts, or go to family or church functions. The pain of their missing six year old daughter is so great; they want to do something absolutely the opposite of what they used to do. I know another family whose child has been gone two years now. Thanksgiving Day is spent serving the homeless. There is still no tree or decorations at Christmas. It must be so painful. I cannot imagine.

A part of me grieves with each of these families. Yet, I cling to what I have knowing it could all change in one second of time. I am more fiercely determined to hold onto every moment, to love up each of my children, making sure they know how proud I am of them, how I cherish their uniqueness. My heart bursts with the depth of love I have for them stronger than I ever thought possible. All the time, in the back of my mind I know there is no guarantee, I too could lose a child. But for now, I will focus on...

How to love my children...

2 comments:

Brannon & Mandie Marshall said...

You don't know me. I'm a pastor in Colorado with two small kids of my own - I was connected to your blog when I was searching for some thoughts on joy for a sermon that I'm preparing for. Just wanted to let you know that I'm praying for you. You have a wonderfully honest way of expressing your thoughts that hits home.

Thanks for your transparency.
Brannon

Brannon & Mandie Marshall said...

You don't know me. I'm a pastor in Colorado with two small kids of my own - I was connected to your blog when I was searching for some thoughts on joy for a sermon that I'm preparing for. Just wanted to let you know that I'm praying for you. You have a wonderfully honest way of expressing your thoughts that hits home.

Thanks for your transparency.
Brannon