Life is Beautiful

So, while you're recovering from yesterday's rather cheesy--but so true--post, I'll shift gears to a more somber topic. This week, just a few days shy of his first birthday, a baby boy named Declan Carmical lost his battle with cancer. He left behind a twin brother, two older brothers, grieving parents and a whole host of people who have been praying for him and hoping against hope for a miracle. I came to hear of Declan because he is the nephew of a friend from grade school but I didn't make my way to his website until a couple of days before he died. As I read the comments from the thousands of people who were impacted by his story, I was struck by the way this particular little boy had moved so many to hope and pray for him.

It is always hard when a child dies because it seems so unfair, so out of the order of things. There are questions and anger and a feeing of powerlessness along with the recognition of an uncomfortable lack of control over life. In the year I worked for Mary Washington Hospice, I saw over and over that even when an older person dies, even when that person has lived what most would call a full, long life, there's still a desire for more. More time. As much time as possible. Of course there were those who welcomed death as the cure after a long illness but not once did I hear someone say that 80, 90, 100 years was enough. Life is good. It is. It is what we were made for. Death was not a part of the original plan. It seems foreign and scary and incomprehensible precisely because it is all of those things. Which is perhaps why we ignore it and focus instead on the quest for eternal youth.

At the same time that I was reading Declan's website and praying that his parents would have more precious time with him, some friends on facebook were bemoaning upcoming birthdays. I think that's pretty typical but that day, it seemed ridiculous to me. I thought about all of the anxiety I myself had felt over turning forty. And why? Why waste time dreading the inevitable? Why not be grateful for every single year, every day, every moment? And really, even though death will involve pain and loss, it is also the doorway to my saviour, the true love of my life. Do I really believe that? Really? If I do, why the big deal over getting older?

So, I want to start a club. A club to celebrate life. Members would vow to celebrate each and every birthday and to celebrate with others in their lives. They would pledge to protect and defend life as far as they are able. After all, we are each so incredibly special and unique. We are irreplaceable and are images of the God who created us and loves us. I hope you believe that.

We continue to pray for baby Declan and that God continues to bless the Carmical family in this time of need. Click here to read their story for yourself.