Quick sad note.

Remember my friends who wanted to figure out if there was a way to adopt a baby they met while doing humanitarian work in Cambodia? Well a few weeks ago, the baby's birthdad came back to the hospital to claim him, and we all thought "Yay, he'll have his family and this is a good thing." Even if it did mean that the door was closed for my friends, they only wanted the baby's happiness and well being to be provided for. So they sent around an e-mail thanking everyone for their support and relaying that baby "R" was now with his papa and would we all send some good thoughts to them and hope for their health and happiness.

Then, 2 days ago, my friends received some devastating news from a colleague in Cambodia. Baby "R" was dropped off at the hospital (again) and despite their best efforts, he died. It was exactly what we had all feared would happen. The baby died among strangers. My only hope is that he was with someone at the time of his passing, but my friends says she was told he was alone.

I don't know what the family's circumstances are, and I can only imagine how hard life in Cambodia can be for many people, so I am loathe to pass judgement on the father or anyone else in baby "R's" family. But I will say that I think that no matter what we are going through, we have to protect the most vulnerable among us at all costs. My hope is that's what the father was doing by bringing him back to the hospital instead of, say, leaving him in a ditch. The very act of returning him to the hospital means that baby was NOT abandoned, and the fact that 2 families wanted to parent him means he was very much wanted, so there are a lot of broken hearts across the world right now. I am holding the father and family in my thoughts, I am sending that baby's spirit all my love and I am crying right along with my heartbroken friends.

Please keep all the families who are suffering the loss of a child in your thoughts today. Thanks.