Remembrance

Every day Malachi climbs onto the back of the couch and points out everyone in the pictures that hang on the wall behind it. They are our family pictures. He points out daddy, mommy, himself and then he comes to a particular picture. My favorite picture. It is the one of him holding his sister. He points and says "baby". My heart breaks and warms at the same time. 
I want him to know who that beautiful baby is in the pictures. The one who looks just like him. I want him to know his baby sister. I want him to know how much he loved and adored her. How he helped feed her, how he gave her kisses and hugs constantly.  I want him to know that even though she is no longer with us and may never come back to us, that she is still part of our family and will always be a daughter, a sister. I want him to know her name.
 So every time he points at her picture, which is often, I say her name. I let him know that is his sister. I remind him of the time she was in our home, that they were the best 3 weeks. I let him know how much we love her, how often we pray for her, how we hope that one day we can be made a whole family again.

We didn't just lose a daughter, Malachi lost a sister. He may never get to see her again, but I want him to remember her and the time they shared. I want him to know that part of our story, his story.