Mardra and Marcus Her sister cried all the time

When Marcus and I arrived at the courthouse today we ran into one of his former co-workers. Last Spring this coworker shared with me that her sister had just given birth to a daughter with Down syndrome. This was not suspected prenatally and the mother struggled with the diagnosis. At that time, the co-worker told me that her sister cried and cried all the time, devastated by this.  Marcus’ coworker told her about Marcus, how he worked at the printing company with her, how happy he seemed to her.

Sigh. I wish I could reach her. I wish I could hold this mother and her baby both in my arms. Tell the baby how beautiful she is and tell the mother how, with her love, everything will be ok.

Do I believe that? Yes. I do.  Thus far, in my travels, it seems to me that love is the magic ingredient to “making things ok.” Making them easy? Nah – who wants easy anyway?

But seriously, there are people who struggle with hardships, obstacles, complications much deeper and difficult than Marcus or I have faced, but with love in the mix, they seem to do better than survive – they triumph.

I am not in any way insinuating, by the way, that this particular mother doesn’t love her child. Only that I want to assure her that her love will guide her and strengthen her through the struggles she perceives the future to hold.  Her baby is, well, a baby – so most of the struggle tormenting her so far is lurking in her mind. Fear of the future and of the unknown are poking her with a stick. 

I wish I could take that stick and put it into her pocket.

She may need it someday to poke back, but not now. Not yet.