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?