We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8

After the funeral, we all converged at my uncle’s house. Casseroles lined the counter. Dishes filled the sink. He’d become accustomed to cleaning up the kitchen since my aunt had gotten sick. As he started covering bowls with aluminum foil, he recounted the last few hours of her life.

She was coherent to the end, so they had much time to talk. They relived treasured memories and shared hopes for their grandchildren. They sang hymns, prayed and wept. There was also something he wasn’t expecting.

A few hours before she died, she started to speak about their children she would meet in Heaven. At first, he didn’t grasp what she meant. She reminded him of the miscarriages she’d had early in their marriage, more than 40 years ago. He hadn’t thought of those losses for many years and was shocked they were on her mind so close to the end of her earthly life.

When I heard this story, I was reminded of my own miscarriage. I have “moved on” and I suppose, healed. But there are unexpected times that I remember we have another child we never met. How would our family be different with one more? I’ll never know.

The words to the Watermark song Glory Baby say:

Heaven will hold you before we do

Heaven will keep you safe

Until we’re home with you.

All of us who have lost a baby will meet him or her in Heaven where we’ll never be separated again.

Father, thank You for the comfort that only You can give in times of loss.

Whitney