Grieving for friends

There is a guy I work with who is kind, quiet and a fantastic Christian. He, Greg, and his wife, Heather, were expecting their first child, a baby girl, mid-April. On Easter Sunday, that wonderful couple lost their baby girl just 2 weeks short of their due date. The Dr's aren't sure what went wrong. On Tuesday, Heather gave birth to Maelee Linn Kasowski weighing a full 6lbs 8oz. The pain of their loss hit like a tidal wave.

Trying to wrap my mind around what happened, all I could do is sob. Being a new mother myself, my imagination kept putting me in their shoes and thinking what if my daughter had been their Maelee. The pain is unbearable and I'm not actually dealing with their tragedy. I can't understand it. I can't believe it. Why would a full-term baby just "not make it?" Why do these things happen? This was a good couple! They would have given Maelee a fantastic home and she would have grown up in Christ. It doesn't seem right she had to pass away.

As I sit here and type through my tears, I wonder what they are doing right now. Are they sleeping in Maelee's room? Are they falling apart? Are they even able to sleep? Have they eaten all week? I want to hug them. I want to tell them it will all be ok, but I know it's not ok. Not right now. Not for a long time. How do you come back from that? How do you move on? It's so painful. It's so debilitating. It knocks the air out of your lungs and it won't let you get your breath back. They lost their child. Their only child. Only pictures remain of what they've anticipated with excitement for 9 months. How do you go on?

Talking to a friend who lost their baby in the 1st trimester, their minister gave them a devotional book to help them cope. One of the stories was entitled "Jesus Has a Rocking Chair." That title painted a picture in my head that had me sobbing all day. Jesus is rocking little Maelee to sleep while her parents grieve for her. She's where we all want to be. I just wish Greg and Heather could have had her in their lives for many many years first.

It's too hard. Please pray for them.