May 13, 2017
To my dear Aubrey Elizabeth,
I was so grateful to be able to hold you for those 10 minutes on the day we got to see you.
It reminded me of the ancient Jewish prayer of thanksgiving: If only I can hold you for ten minutes, it will be enough… But of course it was not enough. As I was trying to imprint your features on my memory I couldn’t help thinking of what we would miss – you growing up, celebrating your milestones with you, seeing you smile, run, play. Since then I have been wondering what your relationships with your brother and cousins would have been like. I have tried to imagine what you would look like – that combination of McLaughlin and McCann characteristics that would make you uniquely you and at the same time seeing the similarities that make you visibly part of our extended families.
But those 10 minutes were enough for me to love you with an intensity and clarity that maybe only comes when time is so short. It helped me to understand that your place in the family will never be filled by somebody else. That spot is yours and you will be forever loved and never forgotten.
Love,
Oma.
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| Aubrey Elizabeth McCann - February 10, 2017 |
