Death and Birth

I’ve been thinking a lot about the cycle of life and death lately.

One of my co-workers had a 5 month old daughter who recently passed away. I always think of God as being just. Yet I see no justice in taking away the life of a small child, just starting out in life. I know the LDS church teaches that little children have “perfect spirits” and that for some seems to be a good enough explanation. I feel so bad for my co-worker and his wife. This was their first child and they were so excited to be parents. That little girl should have had such a bright future. She was perfect. She had no previous health problems. But one afternoon, her life ended. Abruptly. I have tried and tried to think of something comforting to say. Words are empty and cheap. There is nothing that I can do or say that will heal the wounds that these parents feel from having their daughter ripped from their lives. That pain will lessen over time, but I don’t think it will ever go away completely. If you would like to know more, the family has set up a website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorpaigecosmas

My grandpa passed away at the age of 93, just a few days before his birthday. Grandpa Harris lived a full life. He traveled the world, married the woman of his dreams, had 3 wonderful children, and lived his life to the fullest. He was very healthy until the last few months of his life, when he suffered from some health issues that may have contributed to his death. He lived those last few months in constant pain, so when he passed away it was viewed as more of a graduation or a celebration. Grandma misses him the most but she would not wish him back because of the pain he suffered. You would think, that considering these circumstances comforting words would be easier to find. You would be wrong. Grandma’s only daughter passed away at 8 years old. Grandma Harris has told me that losing her husband has been more difficult than when her daughter died. When her daughter died, she still had her husband there for her, but now her husband is gone and she feels all alone.

P.S. If you’ve read all of this and are wondering why the blog post is titled Death and Birth… I’m pregnant.