We Miss You, Baby Boy!

Today is the day.  June 30th.  Three years ago, we held our precious Caden in our arms for a few hours.  We caressed our son's silky hair, touched his soft skin, and kissed his little cheeks.  We counted his tiny toes, held his little hands in ours, and covered him in love.  We watched, for a brief while, our three children together.  It is a day that will be forever etched into our souls.

Our hearts hurt.  The kind of hurt that never goes away.  But we know that even in times of pain, without a doubt, God is with us.  We know we will never understand why we have been led down this path, but we have learned to trust that there is a purpose, and that, somehow, some way, good will come from this journey.  There is a hole in our family that will never be filled.  Yet, we are filled with hope at the promise of seeing our son again soon and spending eternity alongside him.

Thank you to those of you who have loved Caden right along with us...Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends....we are so grateful for the ways in which you keep Caden's legacy alive.  Caden continues to be a big part of our daily lives, with Connor and Kylee being continually insistent that there are four children in our family.  We love it that they incorporate Caden into their prayers at night and talk about him regularly.  The picture above is a piece that Kylee created at school this year when asked to write about her favorite tree.  She chose to write about the Magnolia tree in Caden's garden:  "This is my favorite tree because it stands for my baby brother and it is old." Hadley has gone out into the garden a couple times this year and it is incredible to reflect on the significance of her being amongst the flowers and shrubs that celebrate her older brother's memory.  Caden is very much with us.

Caden Adair, we miss and love you so much.  You have touched us in ways that words cannot express and we are so thankful for the lessons that we have learned as a result of our journey with you.  While we will forever wish our journey with you had moved in a different direction, we trust that what we have learned on this path will bless us.  We know, even though we can't see you, that you walk with us.

You are forever our little angel.