ashes to ashes

I woke up this morning in tears. I had dreamt that another family had stolen my baby and refused, despite my pleading, to give her back. "It's only a dream, Niobe," but, of course, the reality is no better. My baby isn't being taken care of by some other loving family. Instead, she's lying, alone and still, in the darkness under the frozen ground.

As we used to say (before we knew better): "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Indian giver be the name of the Lord."