a sad day for blogging

i know that i have not been very good about blogging lately, but until the end of october, i'm afraid that my life has been and will be consumed by (as in fire licking at my feet)work, so it is with hesitation that i even blog today, given the nature of the news.

i learned this morning that a dear friend suffered one of the greatest tragedies i can conceive of. rather than tell you myself, i will use the words of she and her husband, as told through an email sent to family and friends.

it is not my intention to dismiss or minimize their privacy in any way, but instead, meant to honor their courage and their faith. i can't say that were i in a similar position i would have the grace or the understanding that so clearly resounds, despite their grief. it is a testament to me that peace can come to us even in our darkest hours.

Dear Friends and Family,

We are choosing to do this through email not because we do not want to talk with each one of you, but because right now we need our space and time to grieve.

Last night 10 September 2006 we birthed Joseph Seth, but he was stillborn. He was the most beautiful little baby boy, but his time on earth was not meant to be. It was determined that he had probably been gone for about two or three days before he was delivered. Mostly likely the cause was a chromosomal problem that was not detected before hand. We were told by our mid-wife and the doctors that there was nothing we could have done to prevent this from happening.

We want to express to all of you that the Lord in his tender mercies has granted both of us great peace during this difficult time. It is a sad event, but the Lord's love has buoyed us up and is carrying us through this storm. He blessed Jae with an easy and quick labor and delivery. Our wonderful mid-wife has been another great source of comfort, strength, and peace whom we feel the Lord lead us to along this journey of the past 9 months.

We will bury Joseph's body most likely on Saturday in a small grave-side service.

We know many of you will want to express your condolences and we welcome calls, emails, and the such, but ask that you wait a few days to allow us some time alone and to complete the arrangements needed for the funeral and time for Jae to heal physically.

We express our love and gratitude to each one of you and hope all is well for you.