Today I learned of the passing of a young boy named Mitchell. I'm not sure of his age, or the name of the disease he suffered from, but it broke my heart. He had a Facebook page where his parents kept everyone updated on his status. I just happened upon his page when I saw one of my Facebook friends had "liked" his picture. This picture was of Mitchell and his mother. Mitchell looked as if he was sleeping, but his mother was just the opposite. She sat by his bedside holding his hand in hers as she kissed it while she had her other hand on his chest. Her eyes were closed as if she was praying, and though you couldn't really see all of her face, it was obvious she was heart broken. The caption on the picture informed us that Mitchell had passed around 1:30 in the morning and this picture was just taken about an hour before he took his last breath.
I've looked at this picture several times today. And each time I've cried a little bit harder. I can't imagine what this poor family has gone through. I can't imagine, as a mother, the hurt that she is feeling. I just looked at it again and Max caught me crying. He asked in the sweetest, most innocent voice, "are you sad?" All I could do was hug him and tell him how much I loved him. And how I will always love him. And how I thank God everyday that He gave me such a perfect little boy.
I never want to take this for granted. I sometimes get so overwhelmed with life that I forget how good I've got it. It's pitiful that it takes something like this to bring me back to reality, but I know God has already forgiven me for being so silly...and I'm so thankful for that.
