Happy 10th Birthday to my little niece, Susannah, who is celebrating in heaven. For those who are new to reading the blog this past year, I’ll explain the purpose of this post.
Nathan, my oldest brother, married Melanie in 2002. They both were committed to letting the Lord decide how many children they had. Four and a half years later, they were ecstatic to find out the Lord was blessing them with a little one! I think one of the hardest things in life is waiting–and they were a beautiful example of patiently waiting on the Lord. Melanie’s pregnancy was high risk due to multiple factors, and she was on bed rest quite awhile. Then, little Susannah was born March 21st, 2007, 6+ weeks early. But being early wasn’t the problem. She never moved or opened her eyes. In the womb, she had been an active little one, even earning the nickname Thumper. During labor, Thumper was carefully monitored, so it was a mystery to the doctors as to what happened.
Death is inevitable. 10 out of 10 people die. But saying good-bye is hard. Really hard. I now have an empathy that I never had for those whose little ones have entered heaven on the early side. The crushing sensation–the darkest night–would “normal” ever feel “normal” again–yet, even in the midst of sorrow, spring bloomed, and slowly the hurt began to heal. 10 years later, Nathan and Melanie are surrounded with five children. God’s mercy is abundant.
But even with time, that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten. Just yesterday, when I was making tortillas with Abby and Betsy, I thought about Susannah–we think of her as a baby, but the reality is, she would have been 10 today. So, yes, we miss her here on earth. But the separation is only temporary. Because of Jesus’ shed blood and His mercy, we’re heaven bound!
For those who have lost little ones in any stage of pregnancy, stillborn, SIDS, or some other situation, know that we care and we hurt with you.
If you can handle a tear-jerker, here’s the slideshow of her short life.
The music is by Joseph, Anna, Jesse, and Mary. Joseph wrote the lyrics.
Love,
Sarah
“… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5