The picture in this post is that of Scotland Riles. Scotland was miscarried at 20 weeks. But this tragic story has an element of hope and purpose as the father, Tommy Riles, shares the story of his son. Rather than simply having their son removed and discarded as a mass of tissue, the Riles family, as a result of their faith, chose to go through labor and give birth to their son.

After the labor and delivery process, the Riles family spent time with their son, singing, praying, and talking to him. Tommy wrote a letter to his son in which he told him he was proud of his son. Part of that letter says:

“I’m proud of you, son. Even though you only made it halfway through the pregnancy, you have left a mark on our family that will last forever. […] I felt both happy and devastated to be holding my second son in the palm of my hands. We cried. I told you about your brother and sister. We visualized you running through open fields somewhere, free, happy, and full of life. We sang to you. After singing the final line of ‘Silent Night’ to you… ‘Sleep in heavenly peace…’ we knew it was time to say goodbye.”

Thank-you to the Riles family for being strong and sharing this story with us all. And thank-you for standing for life and giving a powerful example of what it means to value every human life, regardless of circumstances.