Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Reminiscing

'Tis the season.  The Christmas Tree with her ornament on it.  The weather that reminds me that we were nearing the end of our time with her.  I look back on that time with my "other daughter", and the reality of her loss with an understanding today I did not have at the time.  I know that if we had been able to keep her, we would never have the daughters we have today.  I don't know how to fully come to terms with that reality, but I do know that is what it is. 

There is no choice to make.  It's not a matter of who is more loved or who is more valuable, it simply is the reality of loss.  I loved her fully, and I love my daughters fully today.  Without the first, we would have never considered being willing to parent more children again. Because of her, we knew we could and because of her presence, and then her absence, we were willing.

But it certainly isn't as simple as the two replaced the one and life went on.  It's isn't an equation of sum totals of love.  It's apples and oranges or broccoli and spinach or Holland and France.  Equal yet fundamentally different.  Similar yet opposite.  It is truly the unexplainable.

I couldn't share last year's picture with you then, but I sure can now.  And I can share my daughters and how they grow.  Life is truly amazing.



In case you can't tell from the pictures, they are rambunctious, busy, totally adored handfuls of perfection.

9 comments:

Penelope said...

What beautiful daughters you have! You are so blessed.

Anonymous said...

Jen, I've noticed this in so many pictures - I see your face in your older daughter facial expressions.

Thank you for sharing your photos with us!

Unknown said...

That's too funny. I see myself in the youngest sometimes (which let me say is a strange sensation!) but not as much in our older one :)

Anonymous said...

Absolutely adorable!

Di said...

I just want to pick them up and squeeze their cheeks.... Love love love seeing the twinkle in their eys and hearing your love for them in your heart...

Dawn said...

Just adorable! :)

Amanda said...

This is an amazing post. It's such a strange reality we live, isn't it? And your daughters are beautiful.

Pam said...

So pretty!

Unknown said...

I just found your blog and am amazed with how much we have in common. I am not sure exactly what this post is about, yet I totally relate to what you wrote. I am the mother of 2 boys I gave birth to, and the mother of 2 girls through adoption. We have fostered many children and lost a special baby girl that we were sure was ours. She ended up being adopted by a distant relative. We were heart broken and devastated. Now, after much time, I can look at the situation with some perspective that I could not at the time. Your words are so right on. Thank you