Every breath

Our beautiful baby is a gift from God. When he was born, everthing seemed so uncertain. There was so much happening, so much to be concerned about. His every breath is still a gift. Mortal life is fragile; sometimes it feels permanent, but not for long. Eventually, we're brought to realize our own weakness. We're not ultimately in control of life. When Duncan was 4 days old (the Sunday after his birth), I drove with our Bishop down to the hospital to give him a priesthood blessing. Amy and her brother Andy and sister-in-law Angela were there. My mom and dad arrived. I can't express how grateful I am to have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to hold His priesthood. At that time, the knowledge that our family can be together eternally gave us hope and comfort where we might have known only angst and fear. The conviction that we lived together with Duncan before this life and that we may forever made our love for him grow. There had been crying, but there was calmness and surety. I asked our Bishop to annoint Duncan. I had worried about how to bless him, what to say, but I realized that it did not depend on me. Our baby was perfect. He must have the faith of an angel. Whatever blessings our Heavenly Father wanted him to have he would have. We blessed him and there was a sweetness. I don't recall all of the blessing, but I do recall that he was blessed to recover, that he was blessed to be an example of faith and courage to his siblings. When I spoke to him, I could sense that he understood. Well, he's doing well now and he has done remarkably well. We don't know what the future holds, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that God has been the author of his progression. Everything we have that is good He has made possible. My prayer is that we'll remember that our lives are not the result of luck or of our own work.