Perspective

LAST weekend when I had the stomach virus I was miserable, but I remember thinking how thankful I was to have a roof over my head. I was wishing it would all be over soon, but I was thankful that I had gingerale to drink. The drink was cold. When I was hugging the toilet I wanted to cry, but I remember being thankful that I had one. My floors are carpet, Not dirt. The house was warm, not a drafty tent. When my body was chilled, my childhood quilt made by my great grandmother gave me comfort and my family was just a room away.

THIS weekend a friend of ours prepares to bury her sweet baby girl. She passed away on Friday. She would have been one in May. She died from SMA. It is genetic and there is no cure. Not yet anyway. She lived far longer than originally expected. As her little body progressively grew weaker and her muscles degenerated she still smiled and blessed the fool out of everyone she came in contact with. She kept a grip on a feather in her little hand. It delighted her so to see it move. It delighted others. Even towards the end, she still kept a defiantly, joyful, reflexive little grip on that feather. I will not forget her.

There was no randomness to her purpose for being. No meaningless existence, or death for that matter. Her purpose was selfless. Purity. Joy. Innocence. To Just BE. To be a little sister, to be a twin, to be a beloved daughter. To glorify God. To smile so sweetly, and coo, to wave a big purple feather. To beat the odds. To touch hearts, to bring forth witness and to encourage testimony. To inspire. To come and join us for a bit, and then return home to her Lord. I can really only make guesses. Who am I to know such heavenly secrets??

My heart aches for all the reasons it should. Unimaginable loss. Prayers lifted up for a weary friend and her husband who must travel this road.

Puts things in perspective, Don't you think? I'm asking the Lord for forgiveness today. I am small and fleeting here on this earth. May I spend my time here wisely. May I walk this week a little more mindful of his blessings. May I be more sensitive to HIS plan in the lives of those around me. I don't live in Haiti, I have never suffered through an earthquake, and God Have Mercy I have never lost a child.

God's speed sweet Hannah. I count myself fortunate to have met you, to have held you just a bit, and to have seen you smile and wave your royal feather.

Meredith