When Someone Is Missing

This is my family. Well, most of it. Scott came down with the flu the morning of our photo shoot and due to the unfortunate timing, we were unable to reschedule the photographer for our bi-annual Christmas card. So, we moved forward but we are incomplete.

Only a mom knows the deepest of heartache when their child is missing from the family photo or the dining table. A child too ill to participate; a child who is estranged or missing; or the ultimate heartbreak— a child who has passed on.

A few days ago, a mom wrote to me sharing her story of both loss and resolution. I found amazing her fortitude as she courageously resolved to move toward joy. As I said a prayer of mercy for her, I was reminded that none of us moves forward alone, nor on our own. There is one who walks beside us and shares our heartbreak because before they were ours to love, they were his.

For those of you who find your family incomplete—whether you have lost a parent, a spouse, a sibling or a child—you are in my prayers. I pray that you can render the strength to join me in thanking God for the joy in the faces of those who are with us—and for those who were gifted to us—if only for a time.