Father who lost wife and premature son trusts God to bring good from tragedy

“Take these broken wings and learn to fly…” Chris Picco sings tenderly to his premature baby son, Lennon in the video below. Delivered by emergency C-section at 24 weeks, Lennon had an affinity for music in utero, so Chris brought his guitar into the intensive care unit to play for him. This was filmed just days after his wife died from complications in childbirth, and only hours before little Lennon also passed away.

With more than 15 million views at the time of writing, the emotional video is clearly having an impact. Watching, it is hard to comprehend the weight of grief he must be feeling as he sings such a beautiful lullaby to his child knowing he won’t survive. What’s more, Picco is a Christian.

According to online sources, the couple met in New York while volunteering as firefighters after the September 11, 2001 attacks. In a remarkably eloquent speech this week at the memorial service of his wife and child, Picco said that God had brought good from tragedy before, and he can do it again. A worship leader at Kellyville Adventist in Los Angeles, Picco told the gathering he knows God is weeping with him. He finished by playing “My Father’s World”.

Watch his speech and song here: