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Unlikely Examples

It is hard to come up with a title for this particular post, because it is somewhat different from most posts. But here we are, seven years to the day, the day we learned something wasn't quite right about our Kaydence Grace. The day this life-altering journey began. Though doctors didn't really think she would ever take her first breath, she is still here working hard at living.

Some days, I admit, are really hard, and others are so amazing I cannot even stand it. It's those amazing days that get me through all of the hard ones. I feel really blessed because she wasn't supposed to be here. We had picked out that grave site. We tried to prepare ourselves. And then she pulled through. I'll also admit that so many days I wonder just how long we have together. Will she have that long life? Will she not? If she doesn't, how will I pick up the pieces of my heart?

But this week, THIS week, President George H.W. Bush died, and guess what? I caught a glimpse of a man, I never thought I'd see. He was 94 years young. He was ready to be in Heaven. He was ready to join his wife...and his daughter, Robin, who died at age three. I read an article about how he wondered if she would be as his three-year-old daughter who left or a grown daughter and he hoped she would be three. When I read that article, I realized in that moment, that he has been so many things to so many people. He was at one time the most powerful man in the world. He took on all of this major world change and the whole time, THE WHOLE TIME, he was really just a dad who was longing to see the daughter he lost. Robin died of leukemia 65 years ago, yet at 94 years old, with quite a lifetime of experiences, he still mourned that loss of a child, and was ready to see her again.

For those out there who haven't lost a child, or come close to losing a child, never tell a parent to get over it. Realize that child is always a part of that parent. A friend told me that losing a child is like losing a piece of your heart. I think that probably the pain doesn't feel as fresh, but I've seen enough to realize how deep the grief runs. Sixty-five years later and that little girl was on the forefront of his mind.

And if you're that parent, I know that you are taking each day a moment at a time. Apparently so did our former President Bush. So did Barbara. And they managed to keep living and life together, with laughter, despite their grief. We've seen some amazing tributes to 41 and Barbara. What an incredible example they set, for everyone, but especially for parents who have lost children.

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