Christie took beautiful pictures that day. Pictures that I will cherish the rest of my life. Not pictures I will walk by and glance at; pictures that will remind me of the last “good” day we had with Layla. The last day she was able to lift her head up without crying. The last day she was able to sit up and read a book. The last day she smiled layla grace.org.
I heard Layla Grace's Story 2 days ago. Through Stellan's mom, she asked for prayer for this beautiful child and her family. The blog posting tonight included the family photo shoot taken a few days ago. On Twitter, today was her sister Jenna's birthday. Her mom thought she held on for her sister. Tonight Layla Grace's sister told her goodbye and are going to their grandma's house for a couple days.
I had a hardtime sleeping last nigh. Tossing and turning, bad dreams and a fear level that only comes with the dark of night. I thought about Layla Grace. Quite truthfully, I didn't turn my computer on for a long while today. I didn't want to know that she was gone. I thought about her grandmother. Taking care of her 2 granddaughters would certainly be where she was needed but that meant that she too had to say her goodbyes to her granddaughter, knowing the end is near. I can't imagine how strong they have had to be for the girls and for each other.
But it is not just for this family. There are many more who have been told, to say their goodbyes. Even as she watches her own little girl slip away - Layla's mom is praying for other families who are in the same place she and her family find themselves. Stellan was here. He literally died on the table on his way into surgery ...and somehow, he now is cured. Completely and totally. I remember being in this same place with Stellan and while I came to Layla's Story late in the game, it feels the same as Stellan's.
What will tomorrow bring? For Miss Layla Grace, her family, you and me? Where will we be in the things that pain our hearts. You don't have to have a child with terminal cancer in the last hours of life to see you need a Savior. One who won't make the pain go away but will be there to hold your hand when you world falls apart. And if by chance you pull a Stellan, that same Hand is there to pull you up and help you land on your feet. The constant is not the circumstance but the Hand. It always is the Hand...
