It's a Wistful Life

Issue 7

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light…

My son Duke was nearly 5 years old when he requested a family picture for Christmas. Specifically, he asked for a picture of his whole family at one of his baseball games, a simple ask until he added a caveat.

“Maxie has to be in the picture.”

I didn’t assure him his request would be honored, but I hugged him tightly and agreed that it sounded like the most perfect picture in the whole wide world.

When you lose a child, you lose them over and over and over again. Each new day, each new season, every annual celebration is laden with absence and thoughts of what should be. Even moments as innocent as sharing a Christmas list can sneak up and squeeze your heart so tight, you wonder if it will ever find its rhythm again.