the villager
Last night I planned to attend a PTA meeting, a place where I embrace my son's elementary school, embrace the community of parents and teachers who help raise my son and his peers. Instead I had a sudden change in plans. That morning I received an email from a mother of my son's classmate. Her newborn baby passed away after 37 hours of living and breathing in her parent's arms. I felt heartbroken and devastated for the parents and their two living young sons. This mother had told me months ago that her daughter in utero had a rare medical condition and would not survive a full day after birth. So I was not shocked to receive the baby's obituary and funeral information, but nevertheless, still deeply saddened by their loss and struck by the uncertainty of life and death. I attended the visitation last night and entered their home with a large bag of hot meals for the family. The grieving mother held her deceased daughter's tiny body in her arms as spiritual songs w