Goodnight, Baby Laurenz
"There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world."
How does someone say goodbye to a child? How can we honor their brief existence? Will we dwell on their suffering or remember their smiles?
I didn't have any answers. None of us did.
As soon as I heard and verified the news of Baby Laurenz' passing, I immediately sent a text message to my friend Jacq , the boy's mother. It was a shock considering that he was doing fine with his recent medical and laboratory procedures.
I will not be able to fathom nor describe in any word the depth of the pain that his family especially his parents are going through now. No words may be able to console or comfort them as they are dealing with a loss that created a void that would always be there. Nothing will ever be the same again.
God's ways are really mysterious and seldom do we understand them. It is sometimes up to us who continue on living to put meaning into such circumstances in life. In my perspective, the pain and suffering of the boy was a way to test the strength of character and faith of his parents.
I remember the anecdote Jacq told us when we visited at the UST Hospital during the first time that he was brought to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. During the time when the boy was in a critical condition, Jacq went to the hospital's Chapel and prayed for a sign whether to let go or not. She asked for a black butterfly as this was also the sign he asked when his father was in his deathbed. When she walked back to the Pediatric ICU she immediately saw the sign she asked. However, she quickly grabbed the black butterfly and stepped on it. We all laughed at the bitter irony, but deep down, we understood. . His parents were not willing to let him go without a fight and the boy was also not willing to just die like that.
As soon as I heard and verified the news of Baby Laurenz' passing, I immediately sent a text message to my friend Jacq , the boy's mother. It was a shock considering that he was doing fine with his recent medical and laboratory procedures.
I will not be able to fathom nor describe in any word the depth of the pain that his family especially his parents are going through now. No words may be able to console or comfort them as they are dealing with a loss that created a void that would always be there. Nothing will ever be the same again.
God's ways are really mysterious and seldom do we understand them. It is sometimes up to us who continue on living to put meaning into such circumstances in life. In my perspective, the pain and suffering of the boy was a way to test the strength of character and faith of his parents.
I remember the anecdote Jacq told us when we visited at the UST Hospital during the first time that he was brought to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. During the time when the boy was in a critical condition, Jacq went to the hospital's Chapel and prayed for a sign whether to let go or not. She asked for a black butterfly as this was also the sign he asked when his father was in his deathbed. When she walked back to the Pediatric ICU she immediately saw the sign she asked. However, she quickly grabbed the black butterfly and stepped on it. We all laughed at the bitter irony, but deep down, we understood. . His parents were not willing to let him go without a fight and the boy was also not willing to just die like that.
Truth be told that Baby Laurenz and his parents put up a good fight. It was always a heartwarming feeling whenever I open my Facebook account or get to talk with Jacq and get to know all the people who have extended their help up to the end.
Most of them were random strangers and only knew the boy through his pictures on Facebook and yet they were organizing all sorts of fund raising activities to extend their help. Countless prayers, comforting words and donations in cash and in kind clearly showed that the boy has touched a very lovely part of our humanity.
It's not the length of time that defines how meaningful our existence is in this world. Some even spend their lifetimes and realize they have lived empty lives. The boy may not understand everything that has happened but I believe most of us do. He has given us a chance to define a part of our lifetime, a part of our being.
The miracle of Baby Laurenz' life will always remind me that there is still goodness in this world. That a boy who have gone through so much in life can bring out the best in all of us who have extended our love and fought with him.
It is very sad to say goodbye especially to a child, so we bid only a kiss of goodnight that you may sleep peacefully in our Lord's loving embrace.
Thank you Baby Laurenz for bringing out the best in all of us.
"How very softly you tiptoed into our world, almost silently, only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your footsteps have left upon our hearts." - Dorothy Ferguson, American author and therapist
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