Today began like any other day in the office. My Classical music station on Pandora played in the background as I sat and sifted through emails, enjoying the quiet slow start to my day.
Around mid morning I received a phone call from my dad. After my initial salutation it was chillingly clear that something was wrong. Before I even knew what it was my heart had quickened because I knew this phone call involved death. I didn't know who though. My mind was racing, going through names, faces, trying to think of who or how someone I knew could have died.
It took only a few seconds for him to relay the news. My cousin and her husband had lost their first and only child this morning to what appeared to be SIDS.
I had never met my cousin's little girl. Her name was Audrie and she was born on April 6 of this year. My cousin had married in the fall of 2012 and both her and her husband were excited young parents who loved this little girl so very much.
Over Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to spend it with them and my extended family, and my cousin, she was probably the happiest momma ever to be. Such a young and eager expecting momma - practically having to practice self-control in anticipation of meeting her little girl.
My cousin had only two months to mother and love Audrie. And mother and love she did.
I honestly don't have a box for all of this. Although close with my cousin and extended family, it still seems like just a horrible rumor - that this tragedy could not have actually befallen my young cousin and her husband. Married not even 2 years, to lose such a treasure so young, to begin your married walk together with such loss, I don't understand. I don't even know if I can sympathize. It's just too... too tragic.
This doesn't happen to people I know. I've heard about SIDS. It happens to... you know... other people. People that are a statistic. People I know, family, they don't lose their 2 month old little girls.
But the reality is, death is no respecter of persons.
Yet even amidst the tears that my cousin, her husband, and my entire extended family share - there is a hope in Jesus Christ. My cousin and her husband fiercely love the Lord. Her family does too. And through such great loss, there is an assurance that Christ remains in control even when everything else feels like it is completely out of control.
My family is grieving. My cousin and her husband have a hard road to walk ahead of them. Our whole family has a hard road to walk ahead of us as we stand side by side with my cousin, her husband, and her family over this next season. But I have a confidence that somehow, and honestly I don't know how, but somehow, God is going to redeem this.
Death is an enemy. A tragic, horrific enemy. But in Christ there is life - eternal life.
Around mid morning I received a phone call from my dad. After my initial salutation it was chillingly clear that something was wrong. Before I even knew what it was my heart had quickened because I knew this phone call involved death. I didn't know who though. My mind was racing, going through names, faces, trying to think of who or how someone I knew could have died.
It took only a few seconds for him to relay the news. My cousin and her husband had lost their first and only child this morning to what appeared to be SIDS.
I had never met my cousin's little girl. Her name was Audrie and she was born on April 6 of this year. My cousin had married in the fall of 2012 and both her and her husband were excited young parents who loved this little girl so very much.
Over Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to spend it with them and my extended family, and my cousin, she was probably the happiest momma ever to be. Such a young and eager expecting momma - practically having to practice self-control in anticipation of meeting her little girl.
My cousin had only two months to mother and love Audrie. And mother and love she did.
I honestly don't have a box for all of this. Although close with my cousin and extended family, it still seems like just a horrible rumor - that this tragedy could not have actually befallen my young cousin and her husband. Married not even 2 years, to lose such a treasure so young, to begin your married walk together with such loss, I don't understand. I don't even know if I can sympathize. It's just too... too tragic.
This doesn't happen to people I know. I've heard about SIDS. It happens to... you know... other people. People that are a statistic. People I know, family, they don't lose their 2 month old little girls.
But the reality is, death is no respecter of persons.
Yet even amidst the tears that my cousin, her husband, and my entire extended family share - there is a hope in Jesus Christ. My cousin and her husband fiercely love the Lord. Her family does too. And through such great loss, there is an assurance that Christ remains in control even when everything else feels like it is completely out of control.
My family is grieving. My cousin and her husband have a hard road to walk ahead of them. Our whole family has a hard road to walk ahead of us as we stand side by side with my cousin, her husband, and her family over this next season. But I have a confidence that somehow, and honestly I don't know how, but somehow, God is going to redeem this.
Death is an enemy. A tragic, horrific enemy. But in Christ there is life - eternal life.
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