Who Tells Your Story

So I recently watched Hamilton for like the 5th or 6th time (but who's counting, right?). Each time I watch it I always pick up on something new that I missed the last time, or I really respond to a certain scene or song. This last time I watched it, I was really paying attention to the final song- "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"- mostly because I had been talking with my sister-in-law Nichole about what Eliza's gasp at the end of the musical could mean. 

But what really caught my attention wasn't her gasp, but it was that simple line of the song title- who lives, who dies, who tells your story. The song talks about how we have no control over who gets to live and who gets to die. And if someone dies, unless someone else steps up to tell their story, they might become a forgotten blip in history. 

What a powerful thing to think about! The first thing that crossed my mind was Ian and Madison's story. I feel like since the twins have been born I have really been slacking in telling their story. While they were short, their stories are so meaningful to me (and hopefully some of you). And since they are gone, who else is going to tell their story but me?  

But that got me thinking even more. When I'm gone, who's going to tell their story then? Who's going to tell my story? If I do it right, the answer to both of those questions will be Brayden and Ashley (and our other future children). 

Last week I decided to take a little trip with Brady and Ashley to the cemetery to visit their brother and sister. It had been a while since I had gone there with them, and it made me realize that I don't bring them there near enough. I try to mention Ian and Madison to them often at home, but I know that I need to do better at that too. 

Because I don't want Ian and Madison's story to die when I die. I hope that my great great great grandchildren will know that Ian and Madison existed. And they were wanted. And they were loved. And they left the biggest hole in my heart. I hope that they will see my story and know that you can suffer the unimaginable and make it out the other side. That my marriage wasn't torn apart by losing two children but strengthened. That I had a whole new love for Brady and Ashley because Ian and Madison weren't here. 

I hope that my great great great grandchildren see that I never stopped telling their story. I hope that Ian and Madison's story is so intertwined with mine that it lives on long after I'm gone and someone else is telling my story. And I hope that my story, our story, will be there for someone who really needs it. After all, what good is your story if it can't serve as a beacon of light for someone else?