Another Reminder....

Displayed in the breezeway at my son's school, some of the older kids have assembled their own altars for Dia De Muertos, the Hispanic holiday celebrating the return of spirits of loved ones. They were colorful with candied skulls and candles and pictures of loved ones who were no longer with us. My eye was drawn to the picture of the one with the smiling baby that was maybe a month or two old.

Someone in the school had lost a baby brother or sister. Some family had to say goodbye to their baby too, proving that db moms are all around us. There weren't any names on the altar so I don't know whose it was. But it was there. I envy the month or two they had shared with their little one, but still, I was sad they had to say goodbye.

I'm sure others who see the altar will wonder what happened, or how they could prevent such a tragedy themselves, or how long ago it was; but all I thought was I wonder who it is and how they are coping. We don't ask all the 'how' questions because we know it matters little how it happens, because it just happens. Babies die all the time, and we still haven't figured out how to stop that. And we seldom ask "how long ago" because we know that our love and our loss are eternal. We will forever long for our babies.