Memorial Day, Indeed.

We really didn't plan it this way, but Memorial Day Weekend became quite literal for us this year.

With Cohen hanging out at G & G Westfall's house, Ben and I finally worked up the courage to pick out a monument for Carter's grave. We (and by that, I mean mostly me) had been dragging our feet to take care of this "last official business" of laying our son to rest. Of course, I think the real letting-go process will take a lifetime.

However, with our coffee in hand, we went into a local monument shop and walked out an hour later confident we made good decisions on behalf of our son and God. We picked out a stone that wasn't too big (why get a big stone for such a tiny boy?) and included his name, date of birth/death, two tiny footprints, and a verse that we feel encapsulated God's hand on Carter's short life: "Your works are wonderful..." (Psalm 139:14).

Yes, it surely was Memorial Day at the Westfall house.

But I have to say that I now feel good that we did it. And while it may be "just a stone," we feel the monument will not only be something we can return to and remember Carter, but also a symbol of the weight Carter's life had in this world and the next.