Bittersweet day

Today is my niece's birthday. Ali is nine today. I hope she has a very blessed year. I'm so very sorry that her new year must have a sad start.

This evening her friend E will be remembered at a memorial service. It seems the sweet girl's family is handling this very well and being strong and quick to focus on the positives. They were exepecting that one day, she would die at a younger than average age, but that it would be after a battle with some illness or issue at a hospital. They are sad to lose her, but thankful that she appeared to have passed on peacefully in her sleep, at home in her own bed, after being kissed goodnight several times by her loving parents.

I will be thinking and praying for all of E's loved ones. I will be hugging my niece in my heart today as she says goodbye.

I can't also help but wonder what this tragedy will do for my SIL who was college friends with the girl's mom. SIL, being pregnant, is not in the most stable of emotional places. I hope this is not something that pushes her over an edge. Edges are never very far away in my experience.