Five years ago today was the saddest, yet sweetest day of my life. On that day Nathan's sister Angel Ruth was born, and then went back to Heaven like a wisp of smoke.
Although we think of her frequently, each year our family visits Angel's gravesite on her birthday. I always take a pink rose. This will be the first year Todd, Carla, and Nathan won't be there because they are in Jamaica, but DeeDee, Grandaddy, and I will go and remember our little girl.
We often wonder what might have been had Angel lived. DeeDee always wonders if she would have had red hair like Nathan. She would be five this year and getting ready to start kindergarten.
Shortly before Angel was born I was traveling out West doing a loop of the national parks and got a premonition of sorts.
I believe we were somewhere in Utah on one of the nights where we camped out under the stars. I was arranging my sleeping bag and mattress, getting ready to bed down for the night, when these words ran through my head, "What might have been was never meant to be . . . ." At the time I didn't know how they would apply to my life, but I would need those words just a few weeks later, and I have remembered them often over the years.
Uncle Howie
7 comments:
Welcome home, Howie! I kept checking last week to see if you had updated & there it is finally! Your trip sounds delightful & I enjoyed reading about it.
So sorry about this sad day for you & your mom & dad. I know you would have loved for Nathan to have a sister.
xo,
Rhoda
Howie, thanks for that post! Now I have to come back & say more.
We had tomato sandwiches last Friday night when we got there & I said to them...I know Howie would love to be here right now eating tomato sandwiches! So, yes, they have plenty of tomatoes & would gladly give you some if you stopped by there. Too bad you're not going back to Blairsville, cause you could sure get plenty of vegetables.
As far as getting readers, mine has grown a lot & I don't know what the answer is completely. I seem to have a lot of faithful readers who enjoy the same things I do, so it clicks for them. One thing I can tell you is to visit lots of blogs & leave messages for them & then they will come & visit you. That's what I did in the beginning, then mine took off from there.
Here is one I think you would enjoy reading. This girl is a hoot. She's a city girl who married a cowboy & lives on a cattle ranch somewhere out west. I just found her not long ago & have enjoyed going back & reading all her stuff. She has over a million readers! Talk about popular. She writes really well too & is just hilarious. Go & have a read:
http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/
Love you!
Holding her and watching Kelsey and Emily kiss her is a vision forever implanted in my memory.
DeeDah, in the only picture we have of Nathan and Angel together, Mama is holding Nathan, and you are holding Angel.
Angel Ruth...my baby girl. Even in Jamaica we celebrated her little life. Just yesterday at the beach, Nathan was playing with some kids and he ran over to where I was and asked, "Mom, how old is my sister going to be tomorrow?" He tells kids everywhere about his sister. Todd even shared with our small congregation that today was her birthday. So, Angel Ruth, Mommy, Daddy, and Bubby love and miss you and think about you all the time.
What a day. What an experience. What precious memories. We are blessed.
I found this quote last night, and I think it applies to my observation in this post.
For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been."
—John Greenleaf Whittier
"Maud Miller"
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