Grateful!

       I am SOOO grateful that I have my little boy.  I have never not been grateful. I have just been struck this week, by the fragility of life.  I have also been keenly aware of the unfairness of things that happen in this life as well.  On Sunday of last week, a friend of mine lost her 7 day old boy.  He was born perfectly healthy, and went home with his mom, dad, and big sister.  About a week later after an aggressive virus attacked his body, he was gone.  By the time his parents realized that he was terribly ill, it was too late. His mother wrote him a letter and as I read how she wished she had kissed him one last time before they took him away to try and save his life, or how she held his hand to try and keep it warm, only to feel it grow colder after he was gone, I wept.  I can not claim that we were close friends, but as a woman, a mother and a fellow human being, my heart broke for her and her family.  When I first read of their loss, I had to get up and kiss and hold my little son.  We so often take for granted the lives of our children and ourselves. Medical science has developed so far, that it is easy to forget how fragile we really are.  We are truly complex, and beautifully, wonderfully made!

       Is there some purpose in an infants death? I hope so.  The Lord knows all things, but it is truly hard to see his grand design in something like this.  Why do bad things happen to good people? As I never met her husband, I can only speak about her.  She was always very sweet. In the kind of church I grew up in, someone like her was somewhat of a rarity, in my opinion.  Why would God take her son, but allow someone like, say Osama bin Laden keep his?  I pray for her daily, as I try to comprehend her and family's grief.  People say "oh, he's safe in the arms of Jesus", and while I believe that he is, I think that in some ways, that could be one of the worst things you could say to a mother who has lost her baby.  That may come as a comfort later, but at this moment, all she wants is for her baby to be safe in HER arms.
       O.k., I will get off my soapbox now and quit preaching.  I just pray that she finds a measure of comfort and peace soon.  It is all one can pray for!

       I feel so lucky that I got to pick my smiling baby up from his crib this morning. I don't think I will ever take a morning with my son for granted.  I love him with all my heart and even though I remember to thank my Jesus for him every day, I will never go a day without telling him how much I love him!!

      Helo, my son, my heart, mommy loves you more than you will ever know or comprehend till you have a child of your own!!!