In Memory of Camille

Little Camille is a sweet, 1-year-old baby that I've never met. She is the niece of a dear friend of mine and she died 2 1/2 weeks ago in a drowning accident. I've been reading her mother's blog (who uses blogging to help cope with her loss) and it has touched me so profoundly that I wanted to respond to one of her blog posts:

Take a minute for me tonight and record the little things your kids do right
now. They don't even need to be cute things. Someday when your baby is grown you may even miss the food thrown on the ground or the face wiped on the sleeve.
Cherish the little things. For the little things are the spice in life.

Andrew:

• Andrew is a hard-core back seat driver. He tells me to go, stop, or slow down when the traffic lights change. Randy was following a car ahead of us a little too closely the other day and Andrew said, "Don't crash Daddy!"
• His grammar and sentence structures are still a little off, and it reminds me that he's still my sweet, little boy and that he's not quite a "big boy."
• When he doesn't want to go to bed, he says, "But Mom! I'm bigger now! I can stay up!"
• He's my little buddy. He gladly goes on trivial errands with me while we leave Dad & Josh at home.
• He has an unstoppable urge to suck his fingers whenever his blankie is around. I have to remind him to go put his blankie on his bed.
• Every now and again he'll ask me to sit with him while he's watching Sesame Street. We both usually end up taking a little snooze together.
• Whenever I get the camera out, he gives me the cheesiest smiles & poses. It's hard to get a normal picture of him.

Josh:

• He has this move we call the "Joshy Strut." After bathtime, he gets this sudden burst of energy - he leans forward and starts running up and down the halls. I've yet to get a decent picture of it (he doesn't perform for the camera).
• Whenever I pick him up, he puts his head on my shoulder. He's such a cuddly kid.
• When I ask him to give me a kiss, he leans forward so that I'll kiss his forehead.
• When we're out on the playground, he has to walk every square inch of the area and tries to discover new crevices.
• He started going to Nursery two Sundays ago. He's doing great and when I go peek on him, he's usually playing on the little slide they have. He'll climb to the top, clap his hands, slide down, and giggle, and then repeat.
• He always has a bruise (or 2 or 3) on his head. He just can't keep his noggin' out of harm's way!
• He has very distinct cries, I know what they all mean.

Stephanie, please know that you are changing lives with your faith. I can't even grasp the loss that you and your family are going through right now. I think about you often. I wonder how I'd react. I wonder if I'd be as strong as you are. I go through many emotions, and I'll be honest, sometimes I've felt mad for you. I know you're not mad, but sometimes I go there. Thank you for sharing your pain and your testimony. You have strengthened my testimony of the healing powers of Jesus Christ. I love how you said that you "fully feel His arms wrapped around you" and that you "feel the ministering of nearby angels." My faith has been strengthened and I know that no matter what trials I will need to face in this life, that I will never be alone because I am a child of God. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing with us. You are wonderful.