“We said our final goodbyes by attending a shared burial. Our baby, along with 30 or so others, were buried all together in a beautiful little white casket. At the end of the service, each family had a chance to spend a few moments with all the babies in the casket. My husband, the girls and I all walked hand-in-hand slowly up front.”
“’Maybe this is just what it’s like to have three kids,’ I thought. I cried alone. I pushed my friends away. I couldn’t connect with my kids.”
“There was no accident, no cancer diagnosis, nothing amiss beyond what the doctors said was the flu.”
“I almost stayed in my van. I was so close, because staying where you are is the easy choice isn’t it? But I heard a whisper, so I got out.”
“‘Will she be back?’ My heart broke. ‘No, she won’t be.’ They all just sat there. The greatest tragedy was the fact my oldest 3 were getting used to losing people they loved.”
“We were beside ourselves with the happiness he was bringing her and how she was letting him, and all of us know, she knew he was there. She knew who he was. We soaked it in, knowing it all may be fleeting.”
“It is not lost on me that, for you, it has been a long day too. But, you asked for this. You wanted this. You must have known this is what it would be like. So, why are you complaining?”
“When he was admitted into the hospital, I wanted to be there in the middle of the night if he needed me. One night, he did.”
“I don’t care that he gets good grades. I don’t care whether or not he is popular. I don’t care whether or not he is talented.”
“We were told in the beginning that his autism was severe, he would never talk, and would likely be completely dependent on us for everything.”
