13 Today

I’m not sure why 13 seems like such a big number to me. For most it means entering teenage years. And those seem to be significant times in our lives. For us, that number hits a little different today. Hadassah Marie would be 13. Or maybe I should say she is 13 today. And our minds have to wonder…what all would she have achieved had she not passed away. The amount she was able to accomplish in 5 years was staggering. She’d learned to breathe, eat, and move on her own…feats doctors didn’t give her much probability to do. She was learning to communicate. By this time it’s hard to even imagine what our curly-haired girl would have done. I’m sure more challenges would have came her way. And I’m certain we would have watched her tackle each one. I’m guessing she would’ve learned to be quite determined to tell us how she felt about things. 

Yet even though she’s not here, she still is. Yesterday we released butterflies again, a simple way to remember her. Her legacy lives on through the Haddie Fund and through her sisters. Yesterday we watched a dozen kids playing on the playground that bears her name. And it’s unfathomable what all that girl has experienced with the Lord. Since he knows the days we are born, and he’s also the same God who commanded his people to celebrate festivals and special occasions, it stands to reason she may be having a party in heaven today. She has a couple more roommates that just got there in the past few months. And so today, on Mother’s Day, we celebrate too. 13 is just a number. But it’s more than just a number. And we are proud of our little girl. Happy Birthday Haddie. We love you. God is good.