Heavy Laden

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Today, an 8-year-old buried her mother. Today, parents buried their 27-year-old daughter.
I didn't know her well. But I knew of her. And she was connected to my family. The sister of my sister-in-law.
It was not until I sat looking at pictures of her life that it hit me how hard this really is, for my brother's wife and for her family.
When I heard that little girl break down on the front row I thought of my daughter sitting in that very same seat. Hurt overwhelmed my being.
And as I watched that father nearly fall out of the pew I thought about my dad putting his daughter in the ground. Tears filled my eyes.
Life is so precious. Time slips away from us without our permission.
But today, a family must go on without their loved one. They have to wake tomorrow knowing they will never see her face or hear her laugh again.
They will hurt. They will cry. They might even get angry.
And from a distance all I can do is pray for our God's loving arms to wrap ever so tightly around them and catch their falling tears.
And what I am going to change in my life will be the amount of "squeeze" that I put into my hugs to my kids.