A Mother's Grief...   As today draws to a close, my heart and my mind think of Mary Beth Chapman. It was 3 years ago on May 21, that she lost her youngest daughter, Maria Sue. I cannot even begin to fathom the grief and pain of burying a child....gone too soon...it wasn't suppose to be this way...too early to say goodbye....this is not how it should be...   All things I've thought every time I've heard about a mother whose child has gone before them. I'm reminded again that our time on earth is so brief, in light of eternity, and so I hug my girls a little tighter, sing one more song, read one more story, squeeze their cheeks again...hoping it won't be the last time.   So, tonight, in honor of those women I know and have known who have walked this road of suffering, I want to name them...(I know there are countless women out there, too, who have miscarried. I cannot imagine that pain, either, and my heart grieves for you/them as well). This list of women had the privilege of holding, loving and caring for their children here on earth, for a time, and then had to let them go.....   Patricia.....Julie.....Kenreanne......Mrs. Viehland.... Mrs. Johnson.....Veronica....Debbie....Natalie....Sherry.....Mary Beth...Mrs. Guzman... Keri.....Ms. Breckenridge.....Ms. Day.....Ms. Blystone....Susan....   As a mother, my heart yearns for healing and wholeness for these women...only possible through the power of the Cross. Knowing that the Bible is true, and thinking about It's Truth in the light of these families who were changed forever after the death of a child...God knew the number of days each child would have..and in our earthly sense it seems their time on earth was cut short...but according to Him, He knew it all along. I hope that brings comfort and peace when the darkness closes in.   And then there are the mothers of these trials....OKC bombing; Columbine; Sept. 11, 2001; tsunami of 2004; Hurricane Katrina; and most recently, the April 27th tornadoes...   I remember these words from Steven Curtis Chapman, sung for a family whose daughter was killed at Columbine, and how real they must have become for his family May 21, 2008...as they let little Maria go into the arms of Jesus....   "..this is not how it should be...but this is how it is...and our God is in control.... this is not where we planned to be...when we started this journey...but this is where we are...and our God is in control...this first taste is bitter, but there will be sweetness forever...when we finally taste and see, our God is in control..."   Stephanie Bass Psalm 139 http://bassfamilyadoptionjourney.blogspot.com