Then and Now...and What's to Come

With permission, I copied this post from my sister Kelli. She wrote the things which I had been thinking and feeling, and she did it so well. What would be the point of me trying to re-write it? Thanks Kel!
When we went to our family camp in August, we took this picture, which I posted a while back. I was the only one left, still pregnant and miserable. The two on the ends are my niece (in laws) and then my sister in law and my sister are on either side of me. All with sweet babies...except for me! The picture below was taken last Sunday at Desmonds blessing. We're missing one of the babies, but here are the rest. Starting on the right, Kamden, Kameron, Desmond, Ryan. Aren't they sweet???When I was looking at this picture, I started thinking about what it must have been like for them in Heaven before they came. I'm sure that they were all good friends. They must have encouraged one another, and cheered one another on as they came to earth just one at a time. I'm sure that their farewells were sweet. I can imagine little Desmond being the last of the group. The others encouraging him that they were just sure that we wouldn't leave him behind....not for long anyways. And yu know, we had no idea that Desmond was going to be part of our family. It wasn't until we knew that these other sweet spirits were on their way, that we felt the prompting that there was one more little person who needed to be with us. Perhaps his cousins were helping to give us a little nudge??? I also imagine these spirits in Heaven promising each other that they would look after each other here on earth. That they would stick together and help each other to succeed, to return to Heavenly Father some day. After all, isn't that what friends would want for each other? Just a thought. Perhaps just my imagination...but maybe not!So I hope and pray that this is exactly what will happen. I hope that these little friends will be a good example to each other. That they'll help each other to succeed. That they'll pull each other up, not down. They are all so different, but they're all so much the same too! They have come to join an extended family that loves tradition, and loves to spend time together. They are all loved by their parents, their grandparents, their cousins, their aunts and uncles, their brothers and sisters, and most of all, by their Heavenly Father! And I hope that they will never ever forget that!