Christmas for Austin

We brought flowers for Austin the week before Christmas. He was of course completely buried in the snow but because we go so often I estimated quite closely to where he was. I swiped the snow in one place and uncovered the flowers we had left there. I was only a foot below him! How's that for accuracy?

On Christmas Day we visited Austin with the Grossnickles. We found him more easily this time because of the flowers. We gave him the froggie and Janna gave him the snowman angel. It was so peaceful. I knelt there and shivered and thought about my son. This would be his first Christmas and he would be six months old. I kept thinking about what we were missing. I'm so grateful for my girls because I can do so much with them.

Sunday we visited again. There was no snow!! I love how it melts so fast here. While we were there another couple came to visit their little one. It is a recent burial, only a few months. We noticed when it was put in and there is always toys and such around the marker. We were leaving when they came. I sat in my car and watched them for a minute, wondering about them. They were a young couple; this must have been their first child. There are so many things around this marker, I can tell that she misses her child terribly. She pulled out dead flowers and straightened the things that had fallen over. How is she doing? How is she dealing with this trial in her life? Does she have a wonderful support system like me? I am so grateful that I have other children to distract me from my grief. I am so grateful for friends that tell me straight and make me think about things but they also know when I need silence. I'm so grateful for my parents that worry about me too much. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father and his guiding hand in my life.

P.S. The headstone is in!! They just have to wait for the ground to unfreeze. It is perfect.