8th time

8 years ago Anna and Alahna brought a plant to the hospital to celebrate the birth of their baby brother. Davie did not come home with us, but his plant did. It was a red gerber daisy and we planted it in our backyard hoping it would last through the summer. It survived the desert heat and died as the colder weather approached. The following spring, we were thrilled to see it grow back and bloom again. We have planted many gerber daisies since then, they have become our favorite flower. Some have come back the next year, some have even come back two years. Miraculously, the little plant that Anna and Alahna brought to the hospital 8 years ago has bloomed every summer since.

We spent Davie's birthday in St. George this year with my sister and her family. As his birthday approached I kept thinking, "Do we ever stop celebrating his birthday?".  As we released his balloons and ate our cupcakes I thought more on the question and came to the conclusion that, yes, we will always celebrate Davie's birthday. Because the truth is, we are not just celebrating a birthday, we are celebrating family, and more importantly, our knowledge of eternal families.  We celebrate because Davie's short little life reminds us of why we are here and where we are going. And I hope that by honoring his birthday, we show our living children that we will always love them, no matter what. My sister told me that she could see our children releasing balloons on Davie's birthday with their children. I hope she is right and I hope that red gerber daisy never stops blooming.