The Passing of Junior - An Update

As many of you know, just over two months ago, we lost our unborn son, Junior.  If you don't know what happened, I wrote a post about it HERE.

It's been a whirlwind of emotions since we learned of Junior's death.  When the pain was freshest, it was difficult to imagine how we would ever resume our normal lives.  The grieving process continues, and I would be lying if I said I understand it or what comes next.  Though we are not welcoming a son and brother into our home, we recently welcomed in a puppy to our family who is bringing us some laughs and joy.

Many have asked if we've discovered what caused Junior's death.  Junior's body was sent to a lab, where an autopsy revealed that his heart had not formed quite right.  We heard a strong heartbeat during multiple screenings and ultrasounds.

Through the grief, we were so thankful to learn that we are not alone.  From the countless calls, emails and text messages that we received to the support we received from friends at Midtown West (the girls' school) and members of our community, all of it was so immensely appreciated.  Though we live in a great big, fast-paced city, this experience showed us that we are actually part of a close-knit, compassionate community.

In particular, we need to thank our church family at Redeemer Lincoln Square and Redeemer West Side (for those who don't know, Redeemer Lincoln Square is a recent church plant by Redeemer West Side).  To put it bluntly, I can't imagine receiving more love and support from a church family than we received from Redeemer during the last two months.  Within hours of losing Junior, we received emails and telephone calls from pastors.  Our pastors sat and prayed and cried with us (even showing up at our door with breakfast). A family that had recently gone through a similar situation reached out to offer support.  While food wasn't exactly foremost on our mind, for weeks, our church kept us so incredibly well fed.  From the wonderful home cooked meals, to the extravagant restaurant deliveries that showed up at our door, it was all appreciated more than you'll ever know.  Friends from church came to visit with Laura so she wouldn't be alone.  A sweet woman spent an evening babysitting the girls so that we could go out.  We received flowers from members of our church family who heard of our loss.

I know that I'm failing to mention many acts kindness that have recently been poured out on our family, but please know, it was all greatly appreciated and more helpful than any of you will ever know.

Seeing displays of love and compassion was beautiful, comforting and humbling.