Today is Sydney’s angel day. 13 years ago around 6 o’clock in the morning I had to hand my newborn daughter’s lifeless body over to the funeral home worker to put her in a bag and drive away with her. It was the single most awful and gut-wrenching thing I have ever been forced to do. Worse even than watching her take her last breath in my arms a few hours earlier.Today, I took a few moments to try to remember what her skin felt like, how she smelled and what her body felt like in my arms. I remember her with a crystal clarity as if it was yesterday. I also exercised and will walk our dog later today. I know deep in my heart that Sydney’s purpose in this life was not to stay with us. Her mission was far greater – to give us the joy of becoming parents and to inspire countless others for years to come. And I am simply a conduit for that mission of hers.I write this today not to make you feel sad but to implore you to please, please understand how short and how precious your life is. Whether you live for 24 days like my Sydney did or for 100 years, it’s still too short. Please take our tragedy and use it to make the most of the days that you have been blessed with here on this earth. Every baby step you take will get you closer to living the life that you deserve to live. That is the greatest gift that Sydney could ever give any of us.
Please take a moment today to look up at the (hopefully) sunny skies, smile a prayer of thanks and gratitude for your life and find one thing today that you can do to make your life just a little bit better and a little bit happier.
And if you feel moved to do so, feel free to share that step with all of us here. Maybe your idea will inspire someone else.
