Life and death

One of my best friend's 17-month-old baby girl passed away this week.  I cannot even begin to comprehend the loss, the grief, and the heartache that she and her family must be feeling.  It was not out of the blue; they knew that their daughter would have a long, hard fight for her life before she was even born.  But, still, hearing the news that she had died was gut-wrenching for me.  Jennifer and I were pregnant together, and Lily and Kennedy were born only a few weeks apart.  I cannot imagine life without my baby girl, and I am sure it is even harder for the Coopers, since Kennedy was their first and only child.  I attended the viewing and the funeral, and it was truly a beautiful tribute to Kennedy and her short, but powerful life.   But the experience was very emotionally draining.  Before the funeral officially started, Jennifer spent a few minutes at the front of the funeral home crying over Kennedy.  The image of a young mother--my friend--crying over her deceased baby girl is one that will haunt me for a long time.  The pain was evident on Jennifer's face, even from a distance.  My heart is breaking for her and her family.  I am so thankful that she has such an amazing support system of family and friends to help her and Mark during this time.  She is one strong, brave, and amazing mama.

I drove from Galveston to Dallas on Friday after the funeral, and I could not wait to wrap my arms around my sweet babies.  I told Frankie that I was going to visit "baby Kennedy" and her Mommy, and we said prayers for her every night since we learned of her passing.  I told him that Kennedy was an angel up in heaven, and he was with me when I first learned of her death and was crying, so I think he at least somewhat understands what happened.  Today, he was outside playing and he picked a couple of flowers and brought them to me inside.  He told me they were for baby Kennedy and her Mommy, and he said he wanted us to bring them to her.   My little boy can be so thoughtful and sensitive sometimes.  We will continue to pray for baby Kennedy and her family, and in the meantime, we will also try to remember how incredibly blessed and lucky we are to have two healthy, beautiful babies.