Today I am thankful for Bobby.
Bobby is our son that didn’t make it. He would be going on twelve years old had he made it.
October 31, 2000, was the worst day of my life. It started like any other, but around mid-morning I got a call from Jen saying that she didn’t feel right. She was pregnant at the time, so of course I was concerned. I left work and we ended up at the hospital for an emergency ultrasound.
I’ll never forget the look on the doctor’s face when she told us that our baby was no longer alive. It’s not something you’re ever prepared for. I mean, who ever expects something like that to happen?
Of course, it does happen, and as we’ve learned since, it happens a lot more than most people would guess. It’s amazing how many tragedies people have in common. We could all take such comfort in one another if we just opened up and let other know what was going on.
We named him Robert in honor of my grandfather. But we call him Bobby.
I would never have chosen to go through losing my son, and even looking back on all that I’ve learned from that loss, I know that I still wouldn’t choose it. But sometimes life has other plans, and for us, that included foster kids and eventually Jonathan.
I am thankful for Bobby.