death

Not the happiest blog header huh? What a hard concept for us to understand. Even as an adult I don't understand why people die before "their time". But then I guess it IS their time when they die right? My faith leads me to trust that although we don't know His plan, it's still His plan. Although it's hard, I know there's a reason. This weekend has been sad for me, for our family, and many others in the world I know. I wonder how many people lost a loved one this week? Many I'm sure.

We lost Jermaine's Uncle Ervin. He lived for a long 75 years, but still died too soon due to cancer. Jermaine and Victoria went to the funeral, 3 hours away, and I stayed home with the little kids. They said they felt so at peace after the service, knowing that he is ok and his wife is ok. He doesn't have cancer anymore.

Ally has struggled for days, crying several times a day and at bedtime. She wasn't that close to Uncle Ervin really, he lived several hours away, but I figured out that it's her first death experience and she's old enough to realize that she will never see him again. I think she's having a hard time with that finality. Poor baby.

Today I photographed a family who lost their newborn baby. My heart so heavy tonight with the burden of grief. One lived a long life, but left too soon. One never given the chance to walk our earth. I know they are both with Him tonight, no longer in pain but at peace. But how difficult it is for those of us still here, missing, remembering, regretting, wishing, praying. My heart aches tonight for Ervin's wife Elna, his 9 siblings, and many other family members who loved him so. And my heart breaks for the new parents who went home from the hospital without their son.

Uncle Ervin, third from the left, with his 9 siblings.