Monday, August 21, 2006

Humbled Awe

Yesterday DH and I paid a visit to the funeral home. It was for a 9 year old boy. His name was Bryan. His Dad works with my DH. This little boy had battled Cystic Fibrosis for his 9 years on this earth. He was the recipient of a lung transplant about 18 months ago. In the last 18 months of his life he had been free of the oxygen that had been his constant companion up until that point.

His mother is a scrap booker. She is an artist of the highest calling. I feel sure it has served as a sort of therapy for her over the years. At the funeral home there was a table with some of her scrapbooks. She had written Bryan’s story…all the highs and lows, through these books with pictures, mementoes and her words. One album even contained a copy of the letter she wrote to the donor family after Bryan’s transplant. There were pages and pages of photos of the family and Bryan on all kinds of adventures. There were words that recorded the memories. I stood and looked through them, getting to know a little boy that I would actually never “know”. What was so clear through this family's stories is that they seized the day….every moment, every hug, every smile, every laugh.

I was humbled by the strength of this family. I was awed by their very ability to get through the day. There was a quiet resolve and a joy that flowed through the soul of this family, even in the absence of happiness. I know that has to come from a deep abiding faith…a gift that God gives.

This experience just humbled me and placed my own family and my own “mothering” on my heart. I take for granted the grace and mercy I have been given. We have to hug while we can. We have love while we can. I need to be less busy and more fun. I need to take more pictures. I need to make more memories. I need to remember that these babies of mine are actually God's first and I should take care to treat them as such.

Today is a gift from God….what are you going to do with it?


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15 comments:

  1. TammyAugust 21, 2006 at 3:50 PM

    Awesome post Belle-ah!!
    I'm going to send my dear friend Beverly over here as she has just got her first new grandbaby girl that is undergoing testing and it looks like she may be diagnosed with this.

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  2. juryizoutAugust 21, 2006 at 9:01 PM

    I hate going to funerals of children as it tears me up so much. My nephew, who had just turned 10 the week before, accidently hung himself in a treefort. A year later, my mother's heart still broken, she left us, too. And all the while I kept thinking, I should've gone to see her more.
    Thanks for the wake up call. You write so great! And thanks for missing me.

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  3. SueAugust 21, 2006 at 10:10 PM

    Hi Belle-ah,
    This was a touching post. I've also been reading Beverly and offering prayers for her precious new granddaughter, Ella.
    How tragic that the life of this little boy was cut short due to this terrible disease...

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  4. MindyAugust 22, 2006 at 3:28 PM

    What a tender post. Today is a gift we have been given....very thankful and grateful for the family and friends that i have been blessed with....some wonderful truth in your post....Blessings to you and yours ....

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  5. TammyAugust 23, 2006 at 1:13 AM

    I have tears in my eyes. This was a beautiful post.

    A year and half ago, we attended a funeral of toddler that had Downs Syndrome with multiple health issues. She had been a co-worker of my husband's and we were all friends. It was so sad and moving...I cried through the whole thing. Yet it was also a testimony for the Lord in so many ways.

    You know...I posted, sort of light-heartedly, about my frustrations lately concerning my four year old's very whiny behavior that I'm trying to work on. I can't deny there are many times that we moms can become so stressed. It's a hard job sometimes, motherhood! But during the rough periods, it's so good to get reminders of just how much we really are blessed with our children. Blessed beyond measure if they are healthy. And it's so good never to take this for granted!

    Wonderful reminder for all of us!

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  6. JessicaAugust 23, 2006 at 12:54 PM

    Wow that is so sad but you know every life has a purpose and this little boy changed the lives of many, including you. I wish we could ALL really live each day like it was our last but not until we are faced with that reality are we able to do it. Well some are, many aren't. I wish I could!

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  7. CottagebelleAugust 23, 2006 at 2:27 PM

    Thanks for the reminder to never take our days for granted. I'll be giving my baby extra hugs tonight before bed.

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  8. JenMomAugust 23, 2006 at 10:22 PM

    Great post. One of my good high school friends died of CF when we were 18 (She was awaiting a transplant at the time). Prayers for that family.

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  9. Yankee DoodleAugust 25, 2006 at 10:37 PM

    The loss of a child has to be the most difficult thing to experience. Whether your child is young or old no parent is suppose to live longer than their children. My heart goes out to these parents and the family. How wonderful that they have their memories recorded in mama's scrapbooks.

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  10. jouetteAugust 27, 2006 at 3:34 PM

    ::tears:: that family is in my thoughts, especially the mother.

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  11. Stephanie T.August 29, 2006 at 11:58 PM

    "We have to hug while we can. We have love while we can. I need to be less busy and more fun. I need to take more pictures. I need to make more memories."

    So, so true. I need to print that out and hang it on my refrigerator.

    A beautiful post and a good reminder, Bell-ah.

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  12. SaraAugust 30, 2006 at 4:45 PM

    Oh Belle, That is so hard for everyone involved...My best friends nephew was still born about three months ago and it was so hard to go through the funeral and try to be there for them. It reminded me of how precious our children are and that every breath is by the will of God. I will pray for this family. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Grafted BranchAugust 31, 2006 at 6:56 PM

    So sad. A great reminder. No matter how much we stop to smell the roses of our children's childhood though, it's never going to be enough, is it? Not ever. Especially not if the childhood is cut short -- oh, the thought knocks the wind out of me.

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  14. BeckySeptember 3, 2006 at 7:36 AM

    So sad. We have joy and we have sorrow. I feel for the parents.

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  15. claudiaSeptember 4, 2006 at 11:15 PM

    Thank you, for sharing this story and giving us the reminders that even if we cant actually scrapbook our journey, we can hold precious memories and the gift that is every life in our hearts.

    My long-distance hugs to the dear family, and to your family as well...

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