I feel like this blog is a place where we document our lives. Our entire lives. Most days it is filled with happy, cute, fun things that happen in our lives. But it is also a place to be real.
And reality hit our little family hard last week. If you follow my blog then you know that I have written many times that we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Brooks' best friend, the son of our dear friends, James and Lindsay Cottier. I had mentioned how Mark, James, and Rick had grown up together, gone to school together, played sports together, and were now going to be father's of sons together. I told you all about how we could not wait for "Thing 3" to join our boys.
Well, oh so sadly, last week God had other plans. Plans that we can not even fathom or understand. Plans that we are mad at and heartbroken over. Plans that were most definitely not ours.
On March 1, 2012
Rhettson James Cottier
was born.
He did not take a breath in this world. He went straight into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.
Rhettson is a beautiful boy who looks like both his Daddy and Mommy in the most perfect ways. He is Jack and Brooks' best friend. He is our sweet "nephew". And he will always hold a special place in our hearts.
We never got to hold him. We never got to watch him play with our boys. We are so sad to let go of our dreams for our little pal. And we are SO SAD to watch our beloved friends go through pain so unimaginable.
We attended the burial and memorial for little Rhett. We cried with and for our friends. We watched them get up in front of a full chapel and pour their hearts out for the loss of their first born son. And we were inspired by their unwavering faith even in the face of such tragedy.
We may never understand why God unfolds His plan in the way He does. We may always ache for the life that had so much potential. But more than anything we know and trust that God's will was done, that lives will be touched by Rhett's story, and that one day we will meet him in heaven.