Lizzie's Day

Yesterday marked nine years since Elizabeth was born and passed away.
October 25th is always a slow day in the Sandberg household... I think it just might be that way for a long while.

If you didn't know, Elizabeth was my baby sister. She was diagnosed with down-syndrome & immune hydrops before she was born. The fact that she was not stillborn was a miracle on it's own, but Lizzie only was alive for a short-while. During that time she met the entire family, and changed a lot of our hearts.
In past years we used to do balloon releases, with a bible verse and contact information on the inside of each lavender balloon. You see, lavender was Lizzie's "color" and she was our Princess, just like I was Sunshine and my sister, Moonbeam. This year, we didn't do anything. I've noticed that over the years some of our family's hearts harden, but mine... well, it softens.
Each year I grow older I realize that what happened to our family is really a blessing in disguise. Lizzie brought us together, if only for a moment. Slowly we stepped apart, grieving separately. We became a distant family, and although some may see it as a weakness I see the strength in individuality it brought me. Lizzie let me grow up, I got to grieve alone and then learn how to talk about it, slowly as time passed.
Even when I see what came of Elizabeth's life, the bad and the good.. I still wonder.

What would my life look like now, if I had a 9 year old sister that struggled with her poor health and social acceptance like Lizzie would have?

I guarantee it would look dramatically different than the spoiled life that I lead.