Holding my children closer tonight

Today has been incredibly long. Though I did manage to sleep in until about 8 a.m. (*gasp!*), the rest of the day I've been running around or hurring up & just so I can wait. The breaks, which I had been told at a brake place, on my van needed a major overhaul so I headed to the dealership to get it taken care of. According to the tech's at the dealership, though, I was lied to & almost robbed of the $650 Just Brakes wanted to charge me for the nothing that was wrong. I'm glad I listened to the voice in my head telling me to get another opinion!

While in the waiting room, attempting to be patient while my van was being diagnosed, I received a call from a lady who works for Candle Lighters. I have a memory casting business & I take molds of childrens (mostly babies) hands & feet & cast them with plaster so the parent can have a 3-D image of their child's hand or foot. Anyhow, she said their was a family near me with an 8 y.o. son who has terminal cancer & they want some castings done. I didn't realize at the time how urgent it was. Keenan (the boy with cancer) was very close to leaving this world, according to his mom whom I spoke with later. She wanted to know if I'd still do the molds if he was gone by the time I got there. It was that close to his time. I got in to this business because I believe parents deserve to have something they can touch & feel & hold of their child, whether living or not, that captures the moment. I especially feel it's important for me to do this for parents who have lost their little one, though this was my first terminal child to cast, no matter how hard it is on my tender heart.

I'm amazed at the love & comfort I felt in this home. The family was LDS & there was lots of grandparents & aunts & uncles & children there, surrounding him with their love. Life didn't stop, at that moment, for the rest of the family. There were still things that needed to be done & kids that needed to be given attention & cared for. They all pulled together to do what needed to be done so his mom & dad could spend as much time with their baby for as long as possible.

The Spirit was so strong in this home. Normally, I do the castings & leave. I'm glad they don't take long...I want to leave. In this home, though, I wanted to stay & be with this family. I ended up staying several hours to get the three castings they wanted. I felt at home here....like this was exactly where I should be. There was something very right about the time I was able to spend with them in their home, talking with them & enjoying their company.

My heart is heavy for this family. Though I know Keenan is about to leave this world for some place much better, the pain this family will feel upon his departure weighs on my heart. The thought that that could easily be one of my children makes me so grateful for their health & it makes the love I feel for them burn so much stronger than it did before getting the privledge of meeting this family. Sometimes it takes a glimpse of how it could be to realize how good it already is.