Great Sorrow

I've been thinking a lot today about the little guys birthday and about our hospital stay when he was brand new.  It was an amazing experience but a little scary as well.  The booger wasn't doing super at first, but rebounded quickly and has grown into a wonderful little joy as chronicled here.

On that first day there were lots of doctors and nurses in and out, but there was one person I was surprised and happy to see.  One of the first doctors to come in and see the kiddo turned out to be a girl I graduated with in high school.  I hadn't seen her for probably 10 years or more, but she was as sweet and kind as ever.  In high school she always had something positive to say and always wore a huge smile no matter what the situation, and that hadn't seemed to have changed. I immediately felt comfortable and was able to get a good grasp on how my brand new baby boy was doing.  She reassured Emily and me that, while he was distressed to begin with, all was fine now and there was nothing to worry about.  It was really great seeing her as she was always simply, purely, and genuinely nice.

I learned late last night that she passed away suddenly this past Sunday.  I'm not sure of the details, but it made me thankful to have run into her and reconnected at such an important point in my life.  When you hear about tragedies such as this, you think about how fragile life is.  I just wanted to go in, pick the boy up, and hold him.

Please say a prayer for her family.

On a lighter note, here is a cute picture from when he was brand new.