goodbyes

...started tonight. But this time around, in the shadow of the news of a good family friend who yesterday lost a baby that was almost full term...cord tied in a knot. The sickening feeling during the trip to the ER with no movement from the little one inside...the world shattering news of no heartbeat. the painful and grief filled ordeal of the labor of a stillborn baby girl. Her name is Darcy. Her dear mom and dad held her and said goodbye, before they even had a chance to say hello...I can't even begin to imagine.

Oh how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to know, to be with, to be known by, to laugh with, to cry with those that I will say goodbye to this week and next. What an honor and privilege this life is...this life of hellos and goodbyes. They are meant to be experienced in that order. And each one is a gift.

So, as I mourn the loss of the daily presence of my dear brother, of dear friendships, I am reminded to also rejoice in the gift of the time I have been given with them. As I grieve in my goodbyes, I also grieve with my friends, these friends and many others, in their deep loss of even a hello.