Reunions & Remembrances

We spent some time in Mountain Home this weekend with family and friends. This past weekend was my 25th high school reunion...hard for me to believe, but true! It was a great opportunity to get reconnected with some wonderful old friends. I was really nervous before I went about being able to recognize people and remember their names. I knew there would be nametags, but you really don't want to have to stare at someone's nametag before greeting them! Funny...I didn't need nametags for the girls...most of them looked pretty much the same as they did when we graduated. But the guys...they were much harder to recognize! It's surprising how hair loss can really change someone's appearance!

Most of my former classmates had heard about Hannah's story, but there were a couple of awkward moments when those who did not know asked me how many children I had. I still haven't figured out how to answer that question without making people uncomfortable. I usually say that I have one daughter who's 14 and one who's in Heaven. This usually results in a shocked, jaw-dropping response, accompanied by a mumbled, "Oh, I'm so sorry..." This is the point where I usually get choked up and am unable to say anything else. Thankfully, this weekend, I was able to retain my composure and share a little bit of Hannah's story. Another sign of progress in this grief journey.

The mention of my child's name

May bring tears to my eyes,

But it never fails to bring music to my ears.
If you are really my friend,

Let me hear the music of her name.

It soothes my broken heart

And sings to my soul.

~Author Unknown

Speaking of Hannah's name...my 2-year-old niece, Julia, has always called Hannah "Arnie." Yesterday, I got an email from my sister-in-law in Indonesia (they are doing well) and she told me that she was telling one of their fellow missionaries about how funny we always thought that was. Her friend suggested that she look it up and see what the name Arnie actually means. Well, she looked it up, and here's what she found:

"Arnie is Hebrew for 'To sing.' Arnold (I looked it up because Arnie is a nickname for it) is Old German for 'Strong as an eagle.' Hannah did sing in her own way. Now, she gets to sing before the Lord God Almighty forever! We all know that that she was, and is now more so, as strong as an eagle! ~Laura"

God is good, all the time!