A Strange Blessing

This morning I had the strange blessing of grieving for a little boy named Noah. I say it was strange because I never met Noah--and because he died over a year ago--and because it is strange to call grieving a blessing. But I say it was a blessing because I have been profoundly moved by Noah and his family and their story--and because my heart has been, I hope, forever changed.

My friend Julie wrote about this blog last Friday, so I spent the weekend going back to the very beginning (August 2006) and reading about Noah whenever I had a few moments. Today I reached January 2007--the month baby Noah died--and I didn't want to continue reading. It was heartbreaking. But it was also incredibly beautiful.

I fell in love with Noah along the way, and I was amazed and inspired by the unshakable faith and hope of his mom, Adrienne. Today I am squeezing Elijah a little tighter, and asking God to stir up in my heart the kind of trust and passionate love for Him that Adrienne and her family have.

Head over to Noah Steven: Crowned in Peace only if you are prepared to fall in love with a beautiful boy...to have your heart broken...and to gain a fresh vision of the glory of God and the hope of heaven. You really have to start at the very beginning (scroll to the bottom). I haven't even caught up to the present--this is the first time I have ever gone back and read through an entire blog that's existed for so long--but it's that compelling. Noah touched countless lives during his seven months on earth, and even now as he enjoys the physical presence of God in heaven, his unforgettable legacy continues to capture hearts like mine.