Silent Ache

Today my mother-in-law should be celebrating her 68th birthday. I’ve thought about her a lot this past week. We’ve spent the week with Mike’s brothers and his extended family in upstate New York having an absolutely wonderful time creating memories for us, and for the cousins, that will last a lifetime.

When my nephew and I were talking, he excitedly said me something like, ‘there are a lot of Bakers, we have a big family, we need all 3 cabins!’ It was with a lump in my throat I found myself answering him, “yes, yes we do,” while at the same time my heart ached for Mike’s mom, dad and his sister. Oh how I wished they were able to be here to enjoy the love of family with us! How I wish my girls (and their cousins) knew the love of their grandparents and aunt whom left this earth way too soon. Yes, throughout the memory making this week, they were missed, and I just wanted to pause and acknowledge this silent ache in my heart.