"The Light That Burns Twice As Bright"

Lee, this was such a beautiful story and I am so grateful for your sharing it and your memories of Blaze with us.

Though I’ve lost more people dear to me than I can bear, I wouldn’t begin to compare your loss to those that I’ve experienced.

That being said, there were elements of your story that meant so much to me.

My brother and sister-in-law lost their second son to SIDS when Hunter was just over a month old. Needless to say, Hunter’s passing was devastating to the family.

I spent time with my brother and his wife after Hunter’s funeral to give them time to grieve together. So, I took care of them, made sure that they were fed and that their needs were met and that I was available if they wanted to talk. I also took care of their elder son, only about five at the time, so they could have their time.

In one of my discussions with my brother, he talked about seeing a hawk after Hunter passed and knowing that his spirit had passed into an astonishing creature such as that bird, floating on a thermal effortlessly. When he first visited Hunter’s grave after everyone had gone, there was a hawk, circling above. Later he would tell me that he would often see a hawk soaring above him as he drove to work, as if it was keeping an eye on him.

My first tattoo is of a hawk holding a banner with Hunter’s name.

When my grandmother passed and I found myself in anger stage of grieving, I would rage to the heavens at the injustice of taking my grandmother and leaving people that deserved much more to be taken.

I was eventually able to reconcile that anger by imagining that Grammy had accomplished all that she need to do here on earth and she could rest now. Hunter was so good, he got it all done in a month. I found the thought a little comforting.

Thank you again for your story and, if there is a heaven, I’m hoping that there’s a hawk flying with a moth.