purple

When I got pregnant, I became hooked on parenting blogs (I loathe to use the words "mommy blogs" or daddy blogs") like nobody's business. You just feel better knowing that whatever chaos you're enduring, someone else, and, mostly likely, many, many other people, have gone through it too. You get advice, you get comfort, and you get laughs. Oh man, do you get laughs.

But you can also hear some of the most heartbreaking news. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the sadness I felt at baby Emily Mandell's passing from cancer; this week, I read the unexpected and tragic news of young Maddie Spohr's passing. Maddie's mom, Heather, wrote about her daughter Maddie over at The Spohrs are Multiplying - and the story of Maddie is heroic. She was born 11 weeks early, and survived to become the most beautiful little girl, with the most stunning eyes you'll ever see. She was just three months younger than Jane.

As a parent, when you read stories like this, you just want to shut your eyes and tune it out. You don't want your mind to go to that most unbearable place. It hurts too much. But it is one of life's most painful realities. I have had two close friends go through the loss of a child - and the pain is truly unimaginable.

Heather has asked everyone who is attending Maddie's services on Tuesday in Los Angeles to wear purple (the color of the March of Dimes). If you think of it, throw on a splash of purple on Tuesday. If if you can, send a few dollars to the March of Dimes in honor of Maddie Spohr. It's a worthy cause. Most importantly, hug your loved ones a little tighter.