By Rosemary Smith — September 3, 2008
I woke up this morning and rolled over to look at the clock…it was 7:23. How many times in the past sixteen years had I jolted awake at exactly 7:23? Those three numbers used to take my breath away, but as the years passed, they came to be a sign from Drew and Jeremiah that they were near. What was their message this morning?
Most of my Labor Day was a labor of love as I worked on bereavement packets for my Fellow Travelers. This morning, I realized that I had thirty-three packets ready to be lovingly filled by Mary Ann Combs and Barb Brandenburg, two special earth angels. Thirty-three is another significant number for me. Drew and Jeremiah lived a total of thirty-three years. The church bells here at St. Thomas Episcopal in Beattyville tolled thirty-three times that July morning as we followed the caskets of Drew and Jeremiah up the hill from the funeral home to the church.
Drew and Jeremiah sat with me as I wrote each note for these thirty-three packets. They felt my sorrow as I wrote to the Wilson family in Bermuda, the Pohl famly in Illinois, Sgt. Jason Swiger’s mother in Maine, the Phelps family in Montana who had also lost two sons…on and on. Drew and Jeremiah’s message this morning came from a spiritual realm but was so real it gave me cold chills. Their approval washed over me like a wave.
Rosemary Smith can be reached through her website, www.childrenofdome.com.
Tags: grief, hope
Rosemary,
I am so sorry for the loss of your sons. Thank you for sharing your journey and for all the wonderful work you do in reaching out to bereaved parents. The packets you send are remarkable and provide much needed support. Your beautiful and precious sons, Drew and Jeremiah, will be remembered for years to come.
Hugs,
Debra