As our driver wound through the streets of San Miguel last March, the conversation in our car flowed with laughter and anticipation as we headed into a five-day writer’s retreat. Minutes before we pulled to the curb in front of our lovely home for the long weekend, Charlotte answered a phone call from her young adult son. Her quiet voice eloped into a calm intensity, “What exactly did the specialist say?” Charlotte concentrated on her son’s stunning medical updates regarding his unborn baby’s diagnosis.
Charlotte navigated the writer’s retreat over the next few days, absorbing the devastating updates of her first grandchild’s health. After multiple appointments and second opinions, physicians found severe brain anomalies and structural defects in this sweet babe, who was not expected to live long after birth, if she made it to full term. As retreat roomies, I marveled at Charlotte’s peace amidst an incredibly intense handful of days. Through it all, she held her concern for this first grandchild’s health with a calm trust of the Lord’s perfect design.
The spring months rolled into summer, and baby Joy’s diagnosis remained consistent. She was growing and developing in many ways, but tests continued to confirm abnormalities. Brent and McKenzie put one foot in front of the other, braving the tension of the miracle of a growing belly combined with confusion and fear of what was to come.
Born the first day of July, Joy Janet Buell brought immense joy to her family and many friends for 25 tender days on this earth.
The day after Joy’s passing, Charlotte wrote on their CaringBridge site:
Fully healed.
On July 1, 2025, sweet Joy Janet Buell entered the world — a tiny life wrapped in hope, tenderness, and uncertainty. From the beginning, her life was fragile, and her time here uncertain. And for 25 days, she was deeply loved and faithfully cared for. Late last night, JJ entered the presence of the Lord Jesus and experienced wholeness and complete healing.
The past 25 days have been filled with beauty and sorrow, hope and grief. It has been hard and heartbreaking, with moments of joy sprinkled in.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus welcomed children with open arms. When others tried to turn them away, He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). He did not overlook the smallest among us. He honored them, embraced them, and lifted them up as an example of pure faith.
That same Jesus holds Joy Janet now — fully known, fully loved, and fully healed.
In the past few years, Charlotte completed a Master’s Degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Right around the time Brent and McKenzie found out they were pregnant, Charlotte joined a small writer’s group. And on the very day of Joy’s diagnosis, Charlotte embarked on that San Miguel writer’s retreat led by a DTS professor. With a steady confirmation of a calling to write, A Hard Time was already being written in her heart.
Charlotte framed this heartbreaking path of letting go of a child (a grandchild!) into a simple story, and her efforts generously provide a practical and comforting tool for the rest of us to come alongside children in a time of grief.
A Hard Time is a story about a five-year-old little girl learning how to navigate life’s hardest moments through honest conversations and the hope of Scripture.
Charlotte’s dedication page says it perfectly:
- To support A Hard Time’s book launch, set your calendar to purchase from Amazon next week, Oct 7
- To read more about the life of precious Baby Joy
- Abel Speaks is an incredible organization that exists to support families who have chosen to carry a child with a life-limiting diagnosis
Brent and Mckenzie, thank you for carrying and caring for Joy Janet in such a generous, sacrificial way, it has touched all of us. And Queen Char Char, thank you for framing this story for us. We sure love the Buell clan!