A cry of anguish....

'I have lost my baby - the doctor said that she couldn't detect any heartbeat.. and I do not know what to do'...... for a moment all speech escaped me, and an eerie silence seemed to encompass my room. At the other end of the line was my one and only sister who for seven long months had been proudly bearing a child in her womb. All the dreams and hopes fostered by two families seemed to have come crashing down in one single instant.
Something deep within me yearned to reach out and hold my sister tight, to try and find some glimmer of hope which would wash away her sorrow but at that instance - there was nothing, absolutely nothing. I felt cheated, robbed of happiness which till that moment had seemed like a continuum in my life. I had never felt like this before, never-ever in my existence till then. I had always viewed death as an eventuality for everyone, but then why, oh why did life have to be snatched away before it even saw the light of the world.
I wondered, if the pain and sorrow of losing someone whom I had never seen, touched or heard would feel so heart-wrenching then what would be the state of the babe's poor parents. They may have been so eagerly looking forward to seeing their newborn emerge into the world in a few months, enveloping them and filling their lives with joy and happiness. All these days of longing and preparation- it seemed cruel that it should be snatched away in such fashion.
I guess it is in such trying times that faith must come to the rescue - for when everything seems to crumble around us we try and seek solace in the hope that someone bigger than us is watching over us. We may never have seen Him, we may never have known Him but possibly he too shares and understands our state of despondency. Maybe He has something better or greater in store for us; maybe it is a gentle reminder of the transient nature of our lives, and how we eke out our existence. I may never know, but when all hope seems to fail, faith must prevail to guide us through.
All I know is that one little, well-formed seven month old baby boy was perhaps so loved by God that perhaps he decided to keep him for a little while longer. And although we too would have longed to have him in our midst, this must wait awhile. I may never have known you little one, but this thing is for sure - you were much loved by all of us, and your parting has brought us all a little closer together. It made us realize how valuable life is, and how hard it feels to let go. For this, I thank you and will always remember you.

The uncle you never got to meet - Joseph