"Her heart grew in her chest the moment she laid eyes on him. Had she loved him any less, one ounce less, he would be with her now. Her love for him was the only thing that could enable her to break her own heart. She didn't just feel love; She did what love dictated."
Baby Reid was born on December 4, 2012. His birth wasn't like the birth of my niece Bostyn, the first grandbaby to be born into our family. Reid's birth was one of conflicting emotions of joy and heartache. He wouldn't be going home with my sweet sister. Instead, he was taken home to a loving family who had prayed for a miracle.
I can't imagine the heartache my sister went through. It broke my heart to watch her struggle, and my family struggle. But I know that my sister did what she knew was best for her sweet baby boy, and I admire his adoptive mother and father for the people they they are and for the man that they will raise Reid to be.
There is a lot to be said about mothers. But there is even more to be said about a mother who loves her child so much, that she is willing to feel the heartbreak of sacrificing her life with him to give him what she can't.
"The most beautiful people we have ever known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."
My sister truly is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known. She has always been stronger than I am and I have admired her for that since we were little girls. I am so incredibly grateful for her and for the relationship we have. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the friends and relatives who gave my sister and my family so much support and love. I am grateful for the wonderful family who adopted Reid, and for their willingness to let my sister to be a part of his life, and theirs. I am grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and the comfort that our Savior brought, and continues to bring, to my family at this time.
And I am grateful for sweet sweet babies, who bring so much joy to the world around them.
Baby Reid, you are loved by so many. ♥
