Update.

Quite awhile ago, I told you about a mom I had met who lived right here in the same city I do, and who had two little girls who also had a rare, terminal, metabolic disorder, though not a PBD.  She has become a very special and important friend.  I do not really believe in coincidence, not in the "big things" anyway, and I do not think it was by any chance that we connected when we did.

If you missed the blog describing how we did meet, then I will say that we have been sharing the same pediatric palliative care team, and that I had given my blog address to our nurse to share with anyone she felt would like to read my blog.  One day she gave it to Jolene, and Jolene DID read my blog.  I followed her back to her own blog, we contacted each other, and an instant friendship was formed.

On the day that Joel died, I was paging the palliative care doctor at the funeral of Jolene's little girl Ashley.  Yes.  Ashley died only a week before Joel did.

And now, for those of you who do not regularly connect to her blog from mine to get an update, I have some very difficult and sad news.  Ashley's sister Hope has died.  She went to heaven yesterday morning.  You can check out Jolene's blog if you would like to see pictures of how sweet and beautiful she was here on earth.  I am so glad I got to get out for a visit last week, and I must have held her for over an hour.  I am so glad I didn't put off that visit, I would have been so sad not to get that last chance.

I thought it was hard to lose a son and a father within months, but now my friend has lost two children within half a year of each other.  I don't know the words to describe that kind of experience.  Of course, Jolene hates for people to feel sorry for her, and so you better not do that.  She has always felt that her two little girls were a special blessing.  But now she has to live with two empty spaces, and I have a small idea of how painful that will be.  So just remember her and her family in prayer...  Lots of prayer.