Hoping to Help

Visitation was last night for little Boomer. Heart wrenching. We stood in line with hundreds of other people waiting for a word with Josh and Christina. Josh stood at the front, nodding and hugging and smiling. "My son's gone home," I heard him say. "It's a celebration." And from her chair, propped up on pillows and feverishly hot, Christina added, "It is, although it's hard to accept."

A few yards away sat a tiny white casket, a teddy bear, a Tonka truck full of small footballs, and dozens of pictures. The cutest little guy you'd ever see anywhere. We all choked down sobs and blinked away tears and flipped through a photo album and then exited the side door. What do you say to a young couple who's lost their only son? Tell them you love them and are grieving with them, my friend Mary said. And hug their necks.

The funeral's today. My church is still stunned, and doing our best to help and comfort the family. Saturday I got a call from folks determined to get every dollar of Josh and Christina's looming bills paid. They had the birth of their daughter on Tuesday, my friend said, and then Boomer's care flight and hospital bills on Thursday... and now the funeral expenses. I agreed. We have to make sure they're not carrying a financial burden on top of everything else, I said.

So we're all trying to do what we can to get these bills paid. I'm working on adding to my little shop, and I'm donating every cent of what's sold in the Freeman House Shop on etsy - every dime - to the account set up in Boomer's name. If you've been thinking of purchasing something listed... including the Creamsicle and Cartwheel tote... know that your money is going straight to the account to cover this family's hospital and funeral expenses.

Sorry for the sad post. It's been an emotional week here in my little town. But Josh and Christina are right: it is a celebration. We've always prayed that the Lord would hurry and take us home, Christina said this week. Boomer just went sooner than we expected....

Update: Wow. Y'all are overwhelming with your generous support and prayers. The shop sold out in an hour. From the depths of my heart, thank you. Thanks for giving to this precious family. (And for those who have inquired about further giving, here's an option: To donate five dollars, email me at brin@freemanhouse.org and I'll send you a link to complete a donation through Paypal. All contributions will be directly forwarded to the account set up in Boomer's name.) Again, thanks.