Just One Breath
For 40 weeks, through a barrier of skin and fluid, a child begins life with its mother. For 40 weeks, she rolls around, tossing and turning, offering occasional hiccups or thunderous kicks as she grows. She is consistently reminding her outsiders she is alive, and well, and real as they anxiously await her grand entrance into the world.
Once in the greatest while, a child makes their grand entrance into this world with just one undetectable breath before passing into the next. Birth is but a passageway into existence, earthbound only because it is necessary to become heavenbound. The precious, most beloved child is settled into the arms of angels, perfect joy surrounding her, completely unaware of the grieving left behind, just because she existed.
There is chaos, and panic, and begging for her to take just one breath. Just one breath!
There is no explanation, no reason behind the loss that takes place, or the gain that heaven experiences at earth's expense. There is yet to be a word spoken that can aptly define the excruciating pain at such a loss.
It just doesn't make sense.
I used to think it true that God loves people of all ages, and because Heaven is timeless, the age we come is the age we remain, only in perfect bodies. I wondered why He doesn't take the addict's baby, or the babies born in prison. Why take one that is loved from conception? One that is taken good care of? It seems such a cruel thing to ask for.
Her grandmother says, "She was too perfect for earth." True. I hope somehow her mother, who lovingly carried her for 40 weeks, will someday find comfort in knowing she was the vessel chosen to carry such perfection.
There's no comfort in that just yet. Its still too fresh. Her mother's body still goes through the changes brought on by childbirth. Her breasts still fill with milk. Her hormones still cause her body to contract as it reclaims its pre-childbirth strength. Pain and exhaustion remind her that she carried a person inside of her.
Words are futile, actions unnoticed, because it takes a concsious effort to take your next breath after such devestation. She has to remember to take just one breath.....after another...and keep breathing. Even if it feels like she can't.
Once in the greatest while, a child makes their grand entrance into this world with just one undetectable breath before passing into the next. Birth is but a passageway into existence, earthbound only because it is necessary to become heavenbound. The precious, most beloved child is settled into the arms of angels, perfect joy surrounding her, completely unaware of the grieving left behind, just because she existed.
There is chaos, and panic, and begging for her to take just one breath. Just one breath!
There is no explanation, no reason behind the loss that takes place, or the gain that heaven experiences at earth's expense. There is yet to be a word spoken that can aptly define the excruciating pain at such a loss.
It just doesn't make sense.
I used to think it true that God loves people of all ages, and because Heaven is timeless, the age we come is the age we remain, only in perfect bodies. I wondered why He doesn't take the addict's baby, or the babies born in prison. Why take one that is loved from conception? One that is taken good care of? It seems such a cruel thing to ask for.
Her grandmother says, "She was too perfect for earth." True. I hope somehow her mother, who lovingly carried her for 40 weeks, will someday find comfort in knowing she was the vessel chosen to carry such perfection.
There's no comfort in that just yet. Its still too fresh. Her mother's body still goes through the changes brought on by childbirth. Her breasts still fill with milk. Her hormones still cause her body to contract as it reclaims its pre-childbirth strength. Pain and exhaustion remind her that she carried a person inside of her.
Words are futile, actions unnoticed, because it takes a concsious effort to take your next breath after such devestation. She has to remember to take just one breath.....after another...and keep breathing. Even if it feels like she can't.
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