And a child shall teach them . . .

Last Thursday my dear friend was at our home with her sweet son, Jonah. While they were here, Jonah choked on a fruit snack and died. It was tragic, it was awful, and it was very very painful to watch my friend have to go through this. Despite all of that, I am so grateful God put me in the place I needed to be so that I could be there for my friend in her most difficult moment.

It has been just under a week since sweet Jonah left this earth. A lot of tears have been shed, many sleepless nights have been endured, and many moments of comfort and healing have been embraced.

I want to take a moment to try to share some of my thoughts on what this little 14 month old boy (along with his mother) have taught me.

-Life is precious: We had been canning spaghetti sauce and I needed to go pick up Lucy from dance class (literally a 5 minute task). In the time I was gone, the accident occurred.

-There is a power in sisterhood: Although I came home to a tragic scene of an ambulance, firetruck, cop cars and all my neighbors standing in MY front yard, the memory I have in my heart is that of sisterhood. Sisterhood because one friend was there holding my dear friend Julie while two other sisters were holding my children and yet another sister was running down the street to see how she could help. These sweet sisters looked at me as the ambulance was pulling away (I had been out of my car at this point maybe 60 seconds) and they said, "Go be with her. We have your babies. GO". And I went.

-God comforts us even when we may not want to hear what He has to tell us. I prayed like I have NEVER prayed before that God would heal Jonah. Each time I prayed, it felt so empty and I just kept thinking I had to pray harder. As the moments went on, I realized this was God helping me accept what was going to happen.

-God is in the details of our lives: There were so many tender mercies that occurred throughout this event. One that stands out, was that a blanket (that was not there when I left) was laying on the porch for Julie to place my Vivian on so she could care for her son. Oh if we could only see the many angels that must surround us.

-Our baptismal covenant to mourn with those who mourn is so real and so needed. Do we fully comprehend it's value? Are we too quick to jump to the comfort and lifting of burdens? Mourning with those who mourn is vital.

-Take TIME for those you love: That morning as we made spaghetti sauce, Jonah came running in to see what was making the nose coming from the blender. I scooped him up so he could have a look. Oh how I treasure this moment.  I am committed to having many more moments like these with my children. I want to be continually caught up in the wonderment of my childrens' lives.

-In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see. I had to pick my car up from the shop the next day and everyone in there was just so happy and fine. I literally had to stop myself from turning to them and saying, "Did you know Jonah died?" Oh how we must be patient with one another.

-When all is said and done, life is about relationships:I am so thankful Julie and I have made the time to be in the details of each other's life. I love her. I love her husband. I love her Jonah.  She is my sister.

-There is power in the resurrection: After this occurred I kept wondering how I would even begin to explain this to my children. How will I teach Lucy about death? The thought made my mind spin. Then my sweet husband reminded me, we will teach them this by accompanying our  lessons with insights on the resurrection. Oh how this put my mind at ease.

The aching is still so real. The pain is still very strong. The heartache and loss is incomprehensible. It is a difficult time. And the knowledge and insights are incredible. And most importantly, the love I have in my heart for my children, my husband, and for Julie and her sweet family has grown to a level I did not before comprehend.