Suggested help...

We have had friends, neighbors, and church members give us my kind cards, service, gifts, and love. Here are a few books and a talk that helped us. I thought I would recommend them.

Mother's Grieving Therapy & Memory Book:

"Mending Invisible Wings; Healing From the Loss of Your Baby,"
A Healing Journal,

by Mary Burgess with Shiloh Sophia McCloud

isbn# 978-0-9674214-7-6

Children's Book:

"Sarah's Cloud,"
by Deborah J. Merrill,

Illustrated by Brian D. Call

isbn# 1-57008-955-8

Grieving Help Book:

"Gone Too Soon; The Life and Loss of Infants and Unborn Children,"

by Sherri Devashrayee Wittwer

isbn# 13: 978-1-55503-655-3

66 Min. Talk on CD:

"Five Scriptures that Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything ,"

by John Bytheway

Distributed by Deseret Book Company

Happy Valentine's Day Eden

We love you Eden.
Happy Valentine's Day

Grandma Karen helped us decorate Eden's graveside.

We ordered a beautiful headstone for Eden's grave

and hope to have it finished in a month or so.

The Eternal Refiner and Purifier of Silver

My Uncle sent this to me a week or two after Eden's funeral. He has known of our hardships. Ever since we moved to Idaho two years ago almost to the day, I have felt as if we have been in the refiner fires. The passing of Eden has been our hardest tragedy to endure so far. Yet there were so many wonderful, special, spiritual, memorable, and sweet moments within this hardship. Maybe the quote below will help others during their own trials and tragedies.

The Eternal Refiner and Purifier of Silver-- Malachi 3:3


Malachi 3:3 says: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."

This verse puzzled some students in an Old Testament Sunday School class and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the students, a woman, offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next class.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire to heat it up. He explained that when refining silver, one needs to hold the silver in the middle of the flame where the fire is hottest and thereby burn away all of the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then she thought again about the verse that says: "…He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver..."

She asked the silversmith if he truly had to sit there in front of the fire closely monitoring the progress and make adjustments the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man assured her he did, and that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy – when I see my image in it."

When you are personally feeling the heat of the fire, as we all sometimes do, remember that God has His eyes on you and will keep closely watching you until He sees His image in your countenance.

Thank you for the love.

Heartprints

Whatever our hands touch---

We leave fingerprints!

On walls, on furniture,

On doorknobs, dishes, books,

As we touch we leave our identity.

Oh please where ever I go today,

Help me leave heartprints!

Heartprints of compassion

Of understanding and love.

Heartprints of kindness

and genuine concern.

May my heart touch a lonely neighbor

Or a runaway daughter,

Or an anxious mother,

Or, perhaps, a dear friend!

I shall go out today

To leave heartprints,

And if someone should say,"

I felt your touch,"

May that one sense be...YOUR LOVE

Touching through ME...

---Author Unknown

Thanks to all those whose left heartprints on our family. We have felt a lot of peace and love during this difficult time of loss. Thank you for helping us to endure and to grieve.

Love,

The Swensons

Jeremy, Rachel, Noah, Paige, and Eden

1/31/10

The first person to hug me at the end of Eden’s funeral was a stranger. She introduced herself as someone I didn’t know, but she knew of Eden and our story and wanted to simply give me a hug. I responded with a smile and said, “I will take as many hugs as I can get. I would love a hug. Thank you for coming.” I felt the strangers love and I loved her as we embraced sincerely. Then she walked away as I was greeted and hugged by other loved ones. I don’t even know her name, but I will always remember her.

I have been thinking about the sweet woman who hugged me at Eden’s funeral…thinking about her has made me think of missionary work…of the many people whose hearts Eden touched. My paradigm on missionary work has been shifted.

This last week, I noticed that Eden’s blog has been visited over 8,000 times. I began the blog when Eden was born to inform family and friends of Eden’s progress and to find prayers from all who were willing to pray for Eden. I can’t imagine how many people Eden and her story impacted. Just seeing her and her perfection at such a young age and such a small size testified to all that witnessed that there is a God and miracles happen every day. Through our experience with Eden, she has strengthened Jeremy’s and my testimony of God’s love, His will, Christ, the atonement, and the importance of family. Eden was a missionary for us.

Eden was also a missionary to those whose testimonies had dwindled because of neglect, those that never knew they had a testimony of a higher being, those who were searching for spirituality and truth beyond what earthly man can give them. Before Eden passed away, multiple times, Eden’s story led a new friend or stranger and I or Jeremy into a spiritual conversation. Sometimes about God and sometimes about gospel principles. The conversations were not forced, but easily woven into our everyday conversation and open on both sides. It would be nice if it could always be like that. There is a reverence in the NICU that allows these conversations to easily take place; most of us come together as believers in God and miracles and are driven to our knees having just witnessed a birth of a baby and the chance of losing them.

Differences in churches is not an issue. It is nice. We come together as believers in God. I have found, especially in the last few years, that all religions have much in common. It saddens me when people spend more time focusing on the small differences and let that pull people a part, when the abundant similarities should pull us together.

To my little missionary Eden, God lives, and you have testified that to us. Even during times of hardship and sorrow, I do believe He is a loving and kind God, and loves us all. Thank you Eden.

Love, Your Mother Always,
Rachel

Eden's Funeral

Here are some photos from Eden's funeral last week at Meridian Cemetery on January 12, 2010. It was very nice to have so many family and friends there supporting Eden and our family. Thank you to all that attended and to those who helped make the funeral so special. After the graveside service our church Relief Society provided a luncheon for all of us at our church. We have have been surrounded by everyone's kindness. Thank you.

Preparing for the Eden's Funeral

Grandma Cami making Eden's casket lining. A friend of the family's father made Eden's casket. It was beautiful and tiny, like Eden.