Matt and Dyana have known each other since they were little, and their affections have gotten stronger over time. A wonderful child named Luella has now been a part of their family since they were married.

Dyana recently shared a photo of herself resting next to their daughter on Facebook, taken by her husband. The accompanying narrative is so compelling that reading it made me shiver. I’m hoping it will have the same impact on you as it did on me.

We only became aware of it at the time because our daughter Luella was crying a lot because her first teeth were coming in. To assist her in relaxing, I sat next to her, and soon we were both nodding out.

When I awoke, Matt was already at home. He appeared concerned, and tears welled up in his eyes. Although I was initially worried, he immediately assured me that everything was alright; he had just become excited.

He realized how much he loved us when he saw me with our child. We unintentionally reminded him of a story our preacher had previously told us.

We’d leave Luella at home one of those days and go to church. We met the pastor after the service, and he shared an incident he witnessed in an orphanage in Uganda.

As a missionary, he visited boarding schools and orphanages all over the world, but the Ugandan facility had a unique atmosphere. When he first entered the enormous room with around 100 cribs where they were infants, he was astounded by the “screaming” silence.

In such a room, one might expect to hear someone crying, but there was complete silence.

The priest will never forget the response he heard when he inquired as to why all the kids were acting abnormally. The children arrive at the orphanage all wailing uncontrollably. He yells in pain and cries out to his parents for assistance. But after a week, everyone settles down. I understand that they are no longer needed and there is no one to console them.

The children’s silence is a symptom of their inward grief. The kids are aware that no one will come to pick them up and possibly never will.

This story completely shocked us. We made a commitment to never again disregard our children’s screams. I’ll give Luella some comfort even if I’m exhausted, even if she’s whining in the middle of the night.

When Matt saw Luella and I in the crib, he knew everything without saying a word. He prepared the meal as I slept. He grabbed me and murmured, “I love you more than anything on this earth,” as I opened my eyes.

Share Diana’s tale with your friends if it makes your heart race.