Loving Samuel: Suffering, Dependence, and the Calling of Love

Loving Samuel is a retelling of the experience of welcoming and loving my son Samuel, who was diagnosed in utero with a chromosomal abnormality known as Trisomy 18. Samuel died January 2, 2012, just five hours after his birth. The experience of loving him and grieving his loss has profoundly shaped the character of my family. Loving Samuel weaves together both the narrative of our experience and broad thematic reflections on the human condition, the difficulties of loss and grief, the importance of friendship, and the necessity of virtues like faith and love for suffering well--for wresting something good from circumstances that seem meaningless.