A Great Loss

No flashy lyrics; no clever lines; no sense to it all.

Our family lost its newest member as Fredrik Hunter Nimke passed away last week.

Hunter was my niece's son, and my great-nephew.

I am holding Hunter in the picture on my first and only visit with him. He was being a bit fussy and I offered to take him.

He blissfully slept in my arms, as I tested the grasping reflex on him--notice his grip. He seemed to like Old Uncle Eric.

He was a loved little boy with a great promise ahead.

My niece Angela and her husband Fred showered this child with love and affection. They were excellent parents who loved their son.

My sister, Karen and her husband Bud, were grandparents for the first time. Their love and affection for Hunter was nothing short of incredible.

Hunter's five months with us was special as he touched so many of our lives. He will be as missed as he was loved by so many people. He touched our hearts--and I, personally, found him to be a wonderous child. He was so sweet and so kind.

Angela and Fred did a heroic act, as they kept Hunter alive and on a respirator for thirty additional hours so that his organs could be donated to other children. What marvelous and uncompromising valor the two of them offered. What a gift they gave to other children. They are so solid and so giving in their kindness.

I believe these young people went through a trial that no one should ever face; yet they perservered. May God bless them.

Please, take the time to donate your organs or arrange such for your children so that like Hunter, some sense can be made of his loss of life.

My thoughts and hopes are with my niece, her husband, my sister, and her husband as they somehow make peace with this tragedy.

I only hope that they reach a sense of relief.

Bless this child.