The Fourth Gift
Since we planned to travel to Texas that Christmas in 2011, we did the "gift-opening"/"special dinner" portion of our celebration on Saturday, December 17th. Each of us had opened our three gifts we traditionally share each Christmas... Jesus got three gifts from the wise men, so each person in our house also gets three gifts. As wrapping paper was getting cleaned up, Ron snuck away and reappeared with a FOURTH gift! Upon opening it, I found a beautiful figurine of a mother holding not one but two little boys in celebration of our son Elliot that would be coming into the world any day. Fast forward to Friday, December 23, 2011... The drive home from the hospital was long and quiet. I no longer had recollection of the previous Saturday, Sunday or Monday - it was somehow lost, never to be found amongst the grief and trauma of our son Elliot passing away, giving birth to him, and holding his sweet little body that produced no tears or no dirty d...