Seven years ago.....

... we had a perfect morning, afternoon and evening.
... the grandma came over to play with 3 granddaughters all morning long instead of paying bills.
... the cutest baby in the world decided giggling was more important than eating (3 times in a row).
... the daddy got home from his residency an hour early "just because."
... two big sisters helped tuck their baby bug in for a nap and sang her to sleep.
... the mommy made a three-course dinner and everything turned out deliciously delectable.
... the daddy put two big sisters to bed.
... the mommy went in to get the baby bug out of bed.
... it was the longest night of our lives.

We took some butterflies, ceramic bunnies and a couple wind chimes up to the cemetery today. The two dozen daffodils we planted 6 years ago have multiplied so much the kids were sure a few of them were silk. They were all in perfect bloom - just the right backdrop for the two deer and handful of rabbits that were munching on graveside flowers this afternoon.

Alexis threw her mini-parachute into a tree and another family lent us a shovel to get it down. Their 4 year-old died last fall... there are so many common bonds with too many other families.

I would never wish our experiences on anyone else (even those nasty girls in 6th grade), but I can't imagine our lives any other way. Megan couldn't stay - we know that. The bittersweet memories and emptiness still sting, but not quite as much now as in the first 5 or 6 years. The sweet parts of life are so much more precious since we know how the alternative feels. Being able to recognize our guardian angel when she pops in is amazing. Little things like being able to kiss a scraped knee or fix a botched haircut (a la scissor-wielding siblings) or tuck in another baby bug with a song and a snuggle aren't taken for granted as often. Even brain tumors can be laughed at because we're all still here figuring out whatever we're supposed to learn from this life lesson. It will be great to get the report card at graduation and find out what we're actually being graded on.

But for now, it would be nice if some of the experiences weren't quite so piercing...

especially on days like today.