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A wonderful expression of your love and the deep and abiding care for your children that only God can give a mother.

As a young and expectant dad I wondered if I could love a child as a father should. An older a wiser man than I told me not to worry as when that most helpless of little creatures closed his hand about my finger it would be case closed. He was right and later as that love surged through me I realized I was helpless before it. With that came sudden fear that I must protect him with all I had to give. Even with my life.

When a few days later the doctors told us with solemn faces that our tiny son had a rare and incurable disease called Cystic Fibrosis and might not live to school age the shock and fear for our child overwhelmed us. The child I was prepared to die for was going to die and and no amount of anger or tears was going to change that. All that mattered now was to live for our child and to do the work of love that daily sustained his life. Through this labor of love we discovered one of God’s greatest truths of life; love makes you stronger.

We remembered That God the Father had a son, also, who He watched suffer and die so you and I could live. I think He felt every wound and nail His Son suffered and can personally understand intimately our son’s and our own suffering. His love and our ability to love others is the greatest of God’s gift to His created children.

Brendan lived 38 years at our home and lived as active a life as possible. He taught us so much about love that we could have never known otherwise. Before he passed he knew the Lord and we prayed together for reunion in His presence. His last words were of his love for us.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians13:12-13 )