A few weeks ago I ran into an old student of mine. She was in my deep water aerobics class a while back, and she, along with many of the other students in the class, had been an expectant mother. When I saw her recently, she was holding a baby. I asked if the baby was hers and she said no, it was her nephew. I asked where her baby was and she said that her baby had passed away. I felt a pull in my heart, and as a fellow momma, ached for her.
Being a momma is hard. Mothering takes you into an often strange realm of ups and downs. It’s an emotional roller coaster. Very high highs, sometimes, and hopefully less often, very low lows. As soon as you sign up for the motherhood thing you automatically agree, whether you like it or not, to have other human beings walk around this world with a little piece of your heart attached to their sleeve. Your child becomes an extension of you. Their pains become your pains. Their joys, your joys.
And when a child leaves this existence, it seems so wrong. Unfair.
I shared with you about my nephew Emmett a few posts back. Diagnosed with ADEM’s syndrome, a rare and acute neurological disorder, his condition worsened very quickly, and by yesterday afternoon he was brain dead. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family including grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. To read more about Emmett, you can go to my sister’s blog, where she has posted pictures and a more detailed synopsis.
This comes as a shock to us all, as Emmett was healthy and happy a week ago. Now he is no longer with us. He was here for such a short time, but he gave us all so much joy. He was the happiest baby I’ve ever met, smiling all of the time, sweet as could be.
If you have children, hold them a little longer today. Relish each moment, knowing that each moment with your child is a gift and a blessing.
Thank you for those of you who have sent kind thoughts and prayers.
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