Zoe, a beautiful baby girl I have come to know and love (electronically) died today of Krabbe disease. Sabrina and Peter, her parents, have had the horrendous experience of waiting, and watching their precious daughter slowly die these last several months, each breath wondering if it will be her last. Then it happened, her last breath came. It came today. And they were left holding the lifeless frame of their sweet Zoe…and soon her body will disappear too. It is unimaginable!
But I can imagine it. I see it. I feel it. I know it. My own heartache envelops their ache and my sorrow increases.
The world will keep turning as Sabrina and Peter grieve the loss of their precious child. And all of us who have lost our children will continue each day in our heartache, trying to engage a culture that does not know how to engage us, the grieving parent.
So I cling to Hope.
I cling to the hope that our children are more alive than we can imagine, in the presence of God Almighty, the God of all Hope. I picture Zoe, for the first time, experiencing how it feels to walk and run and play…
My friend Jamie gave us a book soon after Judson died that superimposes Jud’s face onto images that depict him playing with characters from Sesame Street. As I was reading the book to Jessie, this page jumped out at me:
May it actually be that Zoe and Judson are, in fact, dancing in heaven together—laughing with glee as they leap and jump and whirl!
Zoe’s name means life and I trust today that she passed from death to blessed life, because of the life and death of Jesus.
This is the hope to which I cling.
Our deepest sympathy to Sabrina and Peter on the passing of your sweet beautiful Zoe. May you (Christina) and Drake be able to in some small way reach out and give them some comfort and sweet peace in this sad time in their lifes. Christina, that line in the story about Judson and Zoe is STRAIGHT from God…..there is NO doubt in our minds.Oh what an AWESOME God we serve!!!!!!
Love and hugs~
Jean and Gary
My heart goes out to Zoe’s parents.Keeping you in my thoughts and in my prayer’s always .
Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
xoxo-Sabrina
What a horrible reminder of just what a heinous disease this Krebbes is! Our hearts go out to Peter and Sabrina, as they begin the path of healing, that you, Christina and Drake, still struggle to walk today. We praisefully thank the Lord that you are in the lives of this sweet family, that you may faithfully be a witness and a testimony to all that our Lord holds in store for His little ones. These precious children may have lost the battle in their earthly lives, but they have won the gift of eternity with our Savior forevermore! We will keep Peter, Sabrina and your family tenderly in our prayers. God Bless, with many hugs, Stevenson Family
Christina,
Again, as allways, I cried as I read your blog. I cry not only for sadness, morning little Zoe but I also cry because our lost touch on what is really important in life, and cry of happiness to know that Judson and Zoe are free and playing in Heaven, cry of hapiness to know that I have a wonderfull and precious son. Cry of happiness to know that God has given you this great gift to express and share through writting, the real feelings of a parent who has lost the most precious piece of her life.
Love,
Mariana
Words fail me. I left a message in Zoe’s guestbook and I just pray that God’s love will be so real to her parents right now.
Does Zoe have a website
What a beautiful baby girl Zoe is and how thankful I am to know she is ALIVE and dancing and playing at the feet of Jesus…right there with Judson! I can picture them leaping, jumping and whirling around together with an incredible joy that none of us on earth have ever known.
Sabrina and Peter have been on my heart so much the past two days–I hope they can feel my prayers and so many others. May they know and feel God’s comfort and love right now and in the days ahead.
A beautiful post! I love that image of Zoe and Judson leaping, jumping and whirling! I know this post gave some small comfort to Zoe’s parents…I have followed her mother’s journal the whole time. What a beautiful baby ZOE is. Christina you do not realize how strong and encouraging you are to those just beginning on the awful path of losing a child. Your post always comes across as positive and healing..May God continue to hold you close throughtout your long dark journey OUT of grief…..
Vince…. father of baby Vincie forever 17 months
Oh my…it is absolutely amazing to me that God, in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty, placed those words on that page as a loving reminder. Thank you for sharing this, and I too will praying for Judson’s and Zoe’s parents, who are waiting to be in on that heavenly dance.