I thought of posting something on my blog yesterday – the 28th anniversary of the death of our grandson Elijah – but inspiration did not happen.

This morning when I checked what was on file for this afternoon’s blog, I noticed that it was photos of our white dogwood tree blossoms – the tree we planted in memory of Elijah. Thus, I was inspired to do this entry in honor of his short life.

I took the dogwood photos on Tuesday, April 26 at 3:08 PM.

The blossoms on Elijah’s 28-year-old tree were beautiful this year.

It hardly seems possible that we have been enjoying pretty, white blossoms on this tree for 28 years. (Probably only 27 years, because we bought it later in the summer.)

The tree was reshaped a bit several years ago during a storm when a fairly large branch landed on it and broke a few branches.

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In Memory of Elijah

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Elijah Seth was born on December 2, 1993 – a seemingly healthy baby boy – the 5th child of Mark and our daughter Diane. This is the only picture I have of him before doctors discovered a serious heart deformity. Diane took this photo.

A few days after Mark and Diane brought him home from the hospital, they realized that something was wrong because his feet were cold. (There was no or little blood flow to his feet.) I understand that it wasn’t noticed earlier because of a valve that stays open for the first few days. In today’s world this deformity would have been found before his birth.

He was taken to their local hospital in Maine, then rushed to Maine Medical in Portland.

I went to Maine to help with the children, thus got to see him before his first surgery.

Mark, Abigail, Josiah, Hannah, Diane and Elizabeth.

Elijah at 2 months. He did fairly well for a few months but was closely monitored by doctors and surgeons. Mark and Diane could tell you a lot more details about those first five months.

When it was determined that he would need another surgery, Cerwin and I went to Maine to help with the children.

These are my favorite pictures of him before entering the hospital for his second surgery.

The second surgery was not successful, and he went to be with the Lord on May 13, 1994, at the age of 5 months and 11 days.

We did a few things in his honor. One was planting a white dogwood tree during the summer of 1994.

I asked the funeral director if I could have the temporary marker that was at his gravesite after there was a permanent marker. He said, “Yes”, so it is under the dogwood tree.

I chose this photo to send to a business that makes patterns for me – for counted cross-stitching.

It is difficult to imagine him at the age of 28 years and 5 months.

Sometimes when people ask me how many grandchildren we have, I feel guilty when I say sixteen, so many times, I say sixteen on earth and one in Heaven.