For every person who passes away, another life takes its place – and two Louisiana families have formed a lasting friendship thanks to that very phenomenon.
Back in January, Connie Despanie and Benjamin Hall were rejoicing in the birth of their newborn son at Lafayette General Medical Center. Though they had agreed on naming him Kingston, they had not yet decided on a middle name.
However, they soon found inspiration in an unlikely place: a handwritten letter that was given to them by hospital workers shortly after their son’s birth.
The letter read: “To my dad’s angel, even though I will never know your name, you are the first child born here after my dad’s passing. When one life is taken, another is given. Please keep my dad in your prayers.”
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The letter was written by Jamie Fontenot. Her father James had just passed away in the very same hospital at the age of 86.
As Fontenot was grieving her father, a sweet song started to play on the overhead speakers. When she asked nurses about the song, they said that the hospital played the song whenever a baby was born.
In her time of heartbreak, Fontenot found comfort in the new life that followed her dad’s death, so she penned the letter and asked hospital staffers to give it to the baby whose birth prompted the music.
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Upon reading the note, Connie immediately started to cry. She was so overwhelmed with appreciation for the letter, she and her husband agreed that their son’s middle name should be James.
They weren’t the only ones who were inspired by the letter, either – after delivering the note to the baby’s family, hospital staffers insisted on introducing Fontenot to Connie and her newborn son.
Needless to say, the meeting was an emotional one.
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Over the course of the last year, the two families have kept in touch and become fast friends. Fontenot was even present for Kingston’s christening.
When asked about the significance of her new acquaintances, Fontenot simply told CBS News: “Family is everything, and if you don’t have faith you don’t have anything.”
(WATCH the video below) – Photo by CBS News
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