On June 13th, my 3 year old son, Owen passed away from a mysterious illness. We are still awaiting autopsy results to try and get an answer. Our hearts are broken and our lives are forever changed. It’s next to impossible to blog at the moment so I’ll leave you with the eulogy that I wrote for Owen and gave at his funeral. We love you, Owen. Ugga Mugga, Baby.

I know every parent says that their child is unique but i can tell you that Owen truly was. By 7 weeks old he was sleeping all the way through the night, much to the envy of other parents. For the first 2 and a half years of Owen’s life he didn’t even so much as catch a cold. He also didn’t learn to speak until he was nearly 3-again, this was the envy of many parents.
In his short time here, Owen taught us a great many things. For example, we learned that a brand new toy could be broken in less than two minutes flat.
Owen also taught us joy in simple moments like when he would jump on the couch like a trampoline or want to race around the yard. He taught us healing, especially after so many great losses in our family. He taught us love because there truly is no deeper love than the love a parent has for a child. Most of all, Owen taught us gratitude, especially for the little things like a cup of orange juice to start the day or jumping in a pile of fallen leaves.
When we realized that Owen was not going to make it, Mark and I looked at each other and first said, “We will get through this together.” and then we said, “We are so grateful for having known him. We were so lucky to have such a great kid.” So when you leave today I want you to take with you not the heavy hearts of sadness and despair but a heart full of gratitude and love. Be thankful for all that you have. Kiss your loved ones every day and tell them that you love them. Our broken hearts will never be whole again but the love and gratitude that we embrace here will help mend us until we meet Owen and our loved ones again.