Sunday, March 27, 2011
To Our Dear Sweet Noah,
It's a beautiful spring day here in Troy, NY. The sky is a sapphire-blue. The snow is almost all melted. The tulips in front of our home are poking through the grass. The buds on the apple tree in the back yard are getting ready to pop. With the signs of new life all around, we can't believe you're gone. You were born only eleven days ago!
Noah, we were so excited to have you with us. We were so excited for you to meet Ethan, to play with him, to grow up with him. And, Ethan was so excited to meet you. He spent the weeks before you came calling your name. He still does.
Son, when the doctor told us that you had Down Syndrome, even though our hearts ached, we never stopped loving you. We just had to get over our expectations for what your life was to be like and learn what God had in store for you. But never in a million years would we have imagined that you would live only eight days.
Oh, the agony the last four days of your life brought us. To see you go through such suffering. To watch as your body continued to fail. Our hearts broke at each report of your worsening condition. And then, to have to decide whether or not to take you off life support! We were so unprepared. We didn't know what course to take. It seemed like a bad dream. Although there were times in the process where we lost sight of God, He was always with us. And praise Him for being there! We don't know what we would have done without Him.
Son, we are so sorry that you had to endure such suffering and pain. We wish there was something we could have done to remove the pain and fix your body. Son, we sought the best care we could. We advocated on your behalf. The doctors and nurses did everything in their power to fix your failing body. But after the four days of continued deterioration, it became clear that God had other plans, and we had to let you go. We were so torn. We desired for you to be with us, but we understood that it is far better for you to be with Christ. Just the same, we cannot stop weeping at thought of you being gone. Noah, deciding to let you go was the hardest decision that Mommy and Daddy will likely ever make. We cried rivers of tears over it.
Son, in our selfishness, we still earnestly desire for you to be with us and to experience the things 'normal' kids do like playing in the yard, walking on an ocean beach, or going to school. We don't know why God took you so soon. His ways are far beyond our understanding. It may be so that we can begin to understand His pain in sacrificing His son, Jesus. It may be that He is preparing us to serve Him in new and more significant ways. The truth is it's probably both of these and more. Although we cannot know His reasons now, we trust our God who we know to be perfectly just and perfectly loving. So while we don't know fully what heaven is like, we rest in His goodness and His plan for you. We rejoice in that you're now without suffering, without pain, without sorrow, without tears and we eagerly await with you the redemption of our bodies, when He will make all things new.
Son, know that your life touched many and that through it the name of Jesus is and will be glorified. Noah, literally hundreds of people prayed for you, many of whom we never met. You have impacted and brought together our church, our community, and our families in ways that we do not yet fully understand. Even here now, because of your death, perhaps the hearts of some would be inclined to entrust themselves to our faithful creator.
Son, we cannot wait to be with you where you are and to hug you and to tell you all the things that we can't now. It feels like the hurt of losing you is never going to end. But we know it will because in light of eternity our lives are short. Noah Joseph, you have forever captured our hearts. We love you and we'll see you real soon.
Mommy and Daddy
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you all for coming to say goodbye to me. Mommy and Daddy whispered in my ear about many of you, how wonderful you were in praying for me and how you wanted me to get better. I'm sad that we didn't get to meet. Please accept Mommy and Daddy's heartfelt thanks for your prayers, your time to be here today, and for practically loving our family.
I know my life was short. I wanted to spend time getting to know each of you. And I wish I would have been able to have spent more time with Mommy, Daddy, and Ethan. But, Mom and Dad, thank you for letting me go. I know it was a hard decision. I know you want me to be with you, but Heaven is really a great place. I get to spend time with all sorts of amazing people, even Jesus. And, man is he great! He's even better than you said he would be! (By the way, Terra Nova, Paul says to keep studying Romans. He knows it's a toughy.)
So, family and friends, please don't be disheartened that my life was short or think that God didn't hear your prayers. He did. But He himself told me that His ways are sometimes difficult to understand and that you need to trust in His goodness. He also told me that very shortly He'll give me a renewed body, which won't be broken like my old one.
I'm looking forward to meeting many of you when you come here to be where I am. Until then, please make the most of the time that you have, the days, as I know all too well, are few.
With all my love,
Noah Joseph
We'd like to thank the following people for caring for Noah. Please forgive us that the list is incomplete. We regret that we can’t remember the names (and how to spell the names) of all who cared for him.
- Dr. Sattar, our OBGYN, and Midwives Lisa and Caren
- Drs. Pan and Levine and Nurses Betsy and Paula of Bellevue Medical Center
- Drs. Georges, DeFreest, Rios, Tauber, Velvis, Simon, Dangman, Johnson, Walsh, Sanchez, and Nurses Missy, Jill, Cathy, Madonna, Kara, Maureen, Rebekah, Liz, and Pat of Albany Medical Center
- Mr. Fiet of Parker Bros. Memorial Funeral Home
- Our families
- Pastors Ed, Phil, Scott, Matt, and Paul and their wives
- Our New Tribe and the rest of our Terra family
I am so sorry for your loss, I read about it on Xenos misc. today here in Columbus. You are in my prayers. I too lost a soon at birth, from Edwards Syndrome. I remember clearly how it felt to go thru all that. I have taken great comfort to know my son never had to endure this world and he is waiting for me in Heaven. It does bring a comfort that is bigger than the loss.
ReplyDeleteConnie