“I’ll love you
forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be."
~ R. Munsch
The obstetric nurse entered the hospital
room with empathy and a stethoscope.
Sara hadn’t felt her baby’s gentle pokes for nearly 24 hours. She and husband Bob were justifiably concerned
especially since their last baby was stillborn at 20 weeks. But babies can be elusive.
The nurse’s silence sealed their fears before the doctor
confirmed it. Their 18 week old son was
no longer alive.
Sarah knew all too well the pain of grief. She’d finally crawled out from its weight
when they learned they were expecting again. She’d dreamt of a baby boy that held her hand
on the way to swings, squealing with delight and demanding higher pushes. In her mind’s eye he was generous with smiles
and free with his hugs.
In that moment time stopped.
All presence of quiet coping vanished.
She slumped on the exam table; deadness dulling her senses and salty
tears flowing unchecked.
To make the unthinkable worse, doctors told the couple that
they’d not be able to conceive again.
Bob too, took the news hard.
He’d worked part-time at an orphanage while studying to become a Jesuit
priest. He wasn’t ‘priestly’ material,
but he loved working with kids. A
prolific storyteller, he’d developed quite the knack for keeping preschooler’s
attention.
He often sung silently to himself an ode to his two dead
babies; never out loud or written down.
Every time he tried to sing it he cried. It was his way of grieving.
Eventually, his wife convinced him to take some time off to
write down some of his favorite children’s stories. At age 35, he sent 10 each to nearly a dozen
publishers. Nine said, “No” and one
said, “Yes” to a story called ‘Mud Puddle.’
It sold a just 3,000 copies in 1979, but it established Bob as a legitimate
writer.
Before committing them to paper, Bob often told his stories
to live crowds. One day while performing
at a theatre, he made up a story on the spot to accompany the song that had
been in the back of his mind. Almost
magically a story poured out about a mother who’d sing her son the same lullaby
at night during every phase of his life - even when he was fully grown.
It was the first time anyone, including Sara, heard the now
iconic "Love You Forever" story.
Robert (Bob) Munsch first published “Love You Forever,” as a picture book in 1986. This touching account of a mother’s evolving
relationship with his son has become one of the best-selling children’s books
of all time – selling over 30 million copies to date in multiple languages.
The Munsch’s have since become adoptive parents of three.
God our Father, Your beloved Son took children
into his arms and blessed them. Give us
grace, that we may entrust these unborn babies to your never-failing care and
love, and bring us all to Your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen
