Divergence

Despite life catching up to us a bit in the past few weeks, we are so...lucky. What is the right word? Blessed? Are those who haven't been as fortunate, then, any less blessed? Where does luck come into play in life, if at all? Are we all just blessed in different ways? Should we all be equally grateful for our experiences, for what they have revealed to us, for how they have transformed us?

I am praying this morning for those whose babies are in the hospital--the babies whose lives hang by the finest of threads. For those whose dream of their family being united under one roof has yet to be fulfilled. Are these abstract people? No, these are people I have come to know and care about. People who have reached out to others who will listen, others who will pray for them and support them in various ways.

Deep in my heart, I know that at least I have this: that no matter what happens in the future, despite the certainty of at least one more open heart surgery on the horizon, my dream was fulfilled. My hope is that I will see my child come of age, even grow old, but my dream was that we would all go home and live our lives together. That at least we've had this year, more than a year now, of just living life, of just enjoying each other.

Sometimes when I log on to email or facebook, the divergence of people's experiences astounds me. One person posts about having soup for lunch, the other posts that the battle is over, his child has died. I don't even know how to connect these juxtapositions in my mind. It makes me wonder about my own words, how I can just talk about every day life when in the "update" below me, someone's life as they knew it has changed forever.

My hope and prayer is that someday, the parents whose dreams have yet to be fulfilled will have the luxury of posting about soup for lunch.