I will never forget that day. We were sitting on the floor of the family room and she was crying her eyes out and saying all sorts of things like she was quitting the Nutcracker and even ballet altogether. She was so very upset and threw her offending pointe shoes across the room.

And that brought me to the crossroads that every parent probably comes to at least once a week if not once or twice or more a day! How was I going to respond?

We don’t really like to talk about it because it makes us uncomfortable, but grief oftentimes presents as anger.

May I encourage you today to live a life without regrets as much as it depends on you?

You see, on that fateful day of January 15, if I had been given a choice, I would have taken Hope's place in that awful car accident, no question. In that way, I would have given her life again at the expense of mine.

One of the things that Nick and I have felt consistently for the past three and a half months is that we have an indescribable, longing, intense desire, need for Hope. Truly it defies words. But it got me to thinking: does God feel that same way about us?

Psalm 13

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?