sweetie pie

Such joy not long ago as my brother shared the news that he and his wife were expecting their second child. Noah, aka "Sweet Pea", is nearly one year old--so "Sweetie Pie" was expected almost exactly 18 months later.

Such sorrow this Wednesday when we found that Sweetie Pie had died, and that Debbie would have to go in for a D&C the next day.

Oh, we can tell ourselves that these things happen for a reason... I ask whether that is simply an effort to short-circuit the sadness over a beautiful child that we must now wait to meet in heaven. There will almost certainly be other children, there will definitely be other joys! The fact remains that our arms ache for Sweetie Pie.

We will hold Noah close and rejoice in his mischievous explorations and his wondrous laugh. We will celebrate the miracle that is Noah. And we will hold Sweetie Pie in our hearts, though our meeting is delayed.