We’ve Got A Reason to Celebrate

The Birthday that Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

May 7, 2012 By Kristen 34 Comments

Dear Alexander,

Tonight I kissed you and wished you Happy “Almost Birthday.” Tomorrow you will wake up and be a different part of a statistic. Tomorrow you will join the 66 percent of children with Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome who thrive beyond age 2.

I wonder if other mothers think like this? I wonder if I am the only one? Who has been holding my breath to pass this milestone?

I’m not in denial. I know that “turning 2” won’t suddenly stop the seizures, or doctor visits, or mean you are never sick. I know that a day doesn’t mean the end of our medically fragile world.

I also remember those first days in the hospital. I wonder if I will ever forget those cruel words from the doctors? They still cut so deep – they literally make me catch my breath and clutch my heart. I wonder how many times those words have fuelled us to push on to this point?

You are my fighter baby. So many times… you have fought like no one I’ve ever known. You make me proud to be your Mommy. And it was with pride that we celebrated the birthday you were never supposed to have – with our friends and family.

We forgot the tears of the past two years. We forgot the fears. The frustrations. The medicines. The everything. Instead…we had cake and ice cream and hamburgers and hotdogs and laughs. And we loved you. It wasn’t a “small wedding” like your first birthday. Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, cousins, and a few friends. To fill our home with love.

Sweet Baby. My heart over flows with love for you. Every. Single. Day. Keep fighting. I promise – I will be here fighting with you.

Happy Birthday. xo

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Letter, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

Don’t Jinx It.

March 27, 2012 By Kristen 25 Comments

I don’t even believe in Jinx’s. I believe in the power of God. Still… I didn’t want to see my husband before our wedding. And, I wear the diamond my father gave to my mother – around my neck. Not on a finger… they are divorced – bad karma.

I have made no preparations. I mean… I believe it is going to happen… but I’m afraid to say it out loud.

Alexander’s Birthday. It is like a whisper on my lips. The birthday my baby wasn’t supposed to have.

It is right around the corner. *phew* …..

I have so many emotions swirling… I don’t even know where to start.

So, I will start at the beginning. The hospital. I can still see the printout in my mind’s eye.

“1:3 will not make it to age 2.”

The meeting with the genetic counselor when Alexander was only a few weeks old. Her packet of information, titled, “Mortality Rate of Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome.” You can guess what the information was inside. More of the same.

“It has been estimated that approximately 35% of individuals who have WHS die within the first two years of life.” – From wolfhirschhorn.org

More… More.. More… It all said this:

“Mortality rate is estimated at 34% in the first 2 years of life. However, because many affected children die before the anomaly is diagnosed or suspected, the mortality rate is underestimated. The usual cause of death is a heart defect,aspiration pneumonia, infection, or seizure.” – From Medscape

Until I couldn’t breathe. Alexander had 3 heart defects. Alexander had seizures. Low muscle tone is a huge contributor to pneumonia. No air….

I will tell you that I couldn’t stop reading. There have been other times- I’ve found myself obsessed with those numbers. I’ve fallen down wormholes and had to claw my way back out. I’ve even blogged about them. Why didn’t we wait until Alexander was 5 or 6 to get a seizure dog?

Maybe because we worried that without a seizure dog he wouldn’t see age 5 or 6.

And here we are. Only a month away from that magic number. I know it is only a number. I know there is no magic jinx. My head knows that everything will be ok. But, even as I type that… my heart lurches. Prays.

We haven’t invited anyone to a party. We haven’t bought a single decoration. We haven’t thought about gifts. My fingers want to type, “I KNOW I am being silly. I KNOW everything will be ok.” But, I’m afraid I will jinx it.

Thanks Shell, for letting me Pour My Heart Out. And, I promise – no more “deep” posts for awhile.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Battling the Demons Within, Sweet Child of Mine, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate, WHS

Christmas Magic

December 7, 2011 By Kristen 8 Comments

There is something about the season. The lights. The songs. The decorations. The magic….

Truth be told. I really only like religious Christmas music. I’m not a fan of the Chipmunks Christmas or even Winter Wonder Land. I don’t link Jingle Bells or Decking the Halls. I like We Three Kings and Silent Night.

And then I had kids. … 3 year old kids. That believe in everything … with a twinkle in their eye.

And so we are “Elf on the Shelf’in” it and going to see Santa and Decking the Halls every chance we get.

And I love it. Every minute of it.

We took a trip this past weekend. We went to Colonial Williamsburg. It was awesome for so many reasons….

First and foremost – a year and a half ago, we thought our days of vacation were over. We did take a vacation this summer, but we did it with help. This was a true triumph… a vacation alone.

Secondly – everything was Christmas Magic. The lights, the sights, the sounds, the smells.. It was all magic. We went to Bush Gardens one day and the entire park was lit up. The kids just stared in wonder at the lights as we walked through the park. At one point – Andrew asked me for a kiss. My 3 year old baby never asks for a kiss anymore. The next day we went to Colonial Williamsburg. There were wreaths hung everywhere and – they were so cool. But we also traveled into market square that evening, caught up with Santa, and window shopped the stores filled with goodies. Christmas Magic.

Christmas Magic…. I can’t explain it any other way. These next shots are of Colonial Williamsburg. Yes, some of them are of wreaths – but check out how cool they are! They made these wreaths out of anything they had laying around!

He knows…. this is where he would be standing if we were, “back in the day.”

So there you have it. Our winter mini-vacation. Just the 5 of us… sealed with a little Christmas Magic to go on our little trip alone. Next summer we may have to take a little bigger trip…. alone. Because it was just one more hurdle we crossed.

Thanks – as always – Shell….

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Our Happy Place, These Kids just might Drive me Crazy, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

“My Sweet” Third Birthday

October 24, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

This is the party we debated. Debated sounds more diplomatic than any other term, right?
This was the party Ray planned. This was the party I attended.
This was the most rockin’ third birthday party ever… And I will forever be grateful for all the hard work my husband put into it.
Not only did we have an opportunity to make memories with our children, but we also had the opportunity to share it with our friends. I have to tell you – this part of the party felt the best. As I’ve said before, sometimes I feel like we are the recipients of so much generosity. It was so nice to be able to share it with others. So here you go…. The Twins “Sweet 3rd Birthday Party”.

Welcome to the Wild Wild West.

There were bandanas. There were hats. There were pumpkins. There was “pin the spot on the cow.”

There was a hay ride. You can’t actually see Andrew and Addison on the ride – but they are in the front right corner.

The corn maze… and featured in the center – the reason we made it through the corn maze. He’s a clue genius!

See small children walk the corn maze. See small children get tired. See small children suddenly become heavy children….

The petting zoo was the hit of the day. Everything was “touchable.” There was a calf, a bunny, chickens, peeps, and a few pigs. All the kids LOVED the little animals. (some loved them a little too much…)

They also had an old fashioned water pump. The kids pumped rubber ducky’s down the pipe… or drank from the well.

You probably recognize Caleb from other pictures. He’s Andrew’s BFF and Hero all rolled into one.

People closest to our heart. It is amazing how much our family loves people we didn’t know a few years ago.

Happy Birthday, sweet babies. I’m glad we celebrated your birthday a few days early – because I’m not really ready to watch you enter the world of “three” yet. Those tears will come later this week. Saturday was a day for laughter and memories… with good friends and great ideas. Thanks, Ray, for making the day one we can all remember.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Photo Heavy Post, Sweet Child of Mine, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

A Time for Everything

October 3, 2011 By Kristen 4 Comments

A time for everything: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

I love this passage, but if you are of my generation – truth be told – you probably picture Kevin Bacon with a bible in his hand speaking passionately about “a time to Dance” in the movie Footloose.

For us, the time is not about dancing, but about preparing. That is what I feel like we are doing right now. We are in preparation mode….

Fall is my favorite season. The leaves all start to change colors and the air becomes just a bit more crisp.

Many people see fall as merely a time to prepare for the holiday season. I love fall… I love the scents, activities, and fun that Fall says.

Time to Prepare…. for pumpkin patches and scarecrows.

I was looking for pictures from last year’s pumpkin picking adventure… and I couldn’t find any. Then I remembered – it was because we got the mini-van stuck in the mud in a pick-your-own Pumpkin Patch and had to call my dad to come tow us out. I wish I had pictures of that to share.

Fall means Friday night lights (the real ones… not the show.) They mean lazy Saturday and Sunday afternoons as West Virginia Mountaineers and Penn State reign on the TV and the Stealers vs. the Ravens war continues. I told you Ray and I were opposite in every single way.

Time to prepare for Football Season. Everyone has a jersey… (or several). Allegiances are formed. And broken – based on who has more chocolate.

Fall means getting ready for school. For all of us. The twins are going this year – it is only a few hours a week… but it is structure. It is time away from their beloved sitter. It is time to interact with other kids. In Preparation for big kid school. A big step. Back packs are filled with a few treasures. Outfits are picked out for the first day. And on this day we head in to meet their teachers. (Monday is their first official day.) The school is actually located at the high school where I teach. The class is run by students and the Family Consumer Science teacher. I’m so excited for them. They are so excited. They actually called me back to their room tonight after about 1 hour of “bedtime sleep.” They told me they were done sleeping and ready to go meet their new friends at Playschool.

A time to prepare for that step into school.

Did I mention that their babysitter dresses them? Seriously – how amazing is she?

There are things Ray and I used to do. Fall camping trips. When the fire burns just hot enough and the air is just cool enough to make you appreciate a great sleeping bag. As you can see below… we are reclaiming our life. A time to prepare for camping. For smores, roasted hot dogs, tent slumber parties, and all the excitement that goes with a camping trip.

Love this picture. As for now – Alexander is not camping with us. But the twins really want him to go – and I think Ray does to… so we shall see. At some point, Alexander will go camping with us.

A time to prepare for the celebration of Twin Birth. 33 weeks. It scares me when I think of babies born at 33 weeks. 21 days in the NICU. And perfectly healthy –almost 3 year olds.

These pictures were taken before they were placed in incubators. Those are preemie diapers hanging off their little tushies. Fun Fact – I have never given birth to a baby that weighs more than 5 lbs. Addison Leigh – 4lbs 1 oz. (on Right) and Raymond Andrew V – 4lbs 11oz (on left)

One year later – we celebrated in grand style. A Halloween birthday party and we were the Flintstones. Fun Fact – I made our outfits. Go Me!

Birthday #2 was a lot more laid back. (I made the cake! – Go me!) But – only our parents were invited as we were still adjusting to our new life. In case you haven’t heard… this year is a little bit more of a big deal.

And finally, a time to prepare for Halloween. When everyone plays dress up. When we practice saying “trick or treat!” When everyone stays up past their bedtime and my 3 munchkins will still allow me to coordinate their outfits. A time for fun.

And this year… preparing for more fun. We will be cow “people.” We have to try on our costumes because sometimes they have to get used to the outfits. I’m not going to lie… I love fall.

(Yes… play guns come as part of their outfits. No… I don’t think this is terrible. Yes… I played with them and turned out ok. No… we don’t allow them to point their pretend guns at anyone. Guess that covers our philosophy on playing pretend….)

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to Prepare… for all the fun that Fall has to offer.

What are you most excited about this fall? Or is fall just a waiting period between summer and winter?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Our Happy Place, Photo Heavy Post, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

Beef and Beer… how can this go wrong?

September 27, 2011 By Kristen 2 Comments

Truth? It can’t. I’ve never been to a “beef and beer.” It is sort of an East Coast City thing. You get together and … eat beef and drink beer. Sort of self explanatory. Around our little area of hillbilly land we call them “drawings” or “feeds.” (Yes, we actually call these things feeds.)
Anyway, this past weekend we went to this amazing benefit for one of Alexander’s friends. In this quasi – world of WHS, there are very few of us out there… and there are even fewer boys. Tanner is amazing. He’s like a shot of sunlight that just… curls around your heart. When he smiles, I swear – the world smiles. Tanner is extra special to us because – he is yet another example of how awe inspiring children can be. Yet another example of why doctors should not give up on any child. Tanner is Alexander’s hero – and his benefit was one we were proud to attend. Here’s a few shots from the day… golf, a walk, beef, and (of course) beer. But most of all – friends. Pulled together by something out of the ordinary – made friends by something extra ordinary.

Tee it up for Tanner. We could not be more overjoyed to have such great friends.

I didn’t put captions under all the pictures because… well – the amazing thing isn’t the pictures. The amazing thing is we. are. not. alone. There are big brothers and big sisters and husbands and new babies…. and us: Moms and Miracles. And the miracle is – we are together.

Thanks J and J – for the opportunity to gather with my soul sisters and support your beautiful son.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Our Happy Place, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate, WHS

Making 40

August 13, 2011 By Kristen 3 Comments

Today, I wish I had asked my in-laws for advice. But I know they wouldn’t give it to me.

They would be the first to say they had none. But I’m sure they do.

I mean…. 40 years of marriage – is quite an accomplishment. How in the heck do you do that now a days?

Everyone says they want 40 / 50 / 60 years …. and yet so few people make it.

As a child of divorce, I often wonder what the stressor is that puts a marriage “beyond repair.”

And yet, they’ve never been there. They’ve always mended. It is so inspirational.

I love this photo… Let me tell you what I see when I look here. Nana – full of excitement and pure joy. Pappy – a man who doesn’t often stand in a spotlight – contemplating every word.
The Candle with 1 Corinthians 13. Every word is lived by the couple that perseveres 40 years.

The two tall ones symbolized my in-laws. The Unity = their life together. The large candles next to them = their 2 sons. Then 9 grandchildren. What an amazing love song. (speaking of…)

This photo says it all. “This DO in REMEMBRANCE of ME” … Renewing their vows in the presence of God, their family, and their closest friends.

All the grandkids – 1. We could Photoshop her in – If only I knew how to Photoshop…

Our family – Andrew is on the left. This was directly before all crap broke loose and 2 year old craziness flipped into high gear. They wanted down. They wanted up. They wanted to talk. They wanted to crawl under the pews to go reach Daddy. *sigh* I love my toddlers.

I realized there were no pictures of Alexander in the last post. Sometimes it is like none of them “turn out’. Today his Aunt Laura captured his innocence several times. My beautiful baby.

I want 40 years. I want 40 years with my best friend. I want to know that no matter what – we won’t ever walk away. I actually want to see in the future – know we made 40 years – and then breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Instead I will work. At marriage. Because it takes a lot of love, a lot of work, and a lot of patience.

Let’s make an advice list. What is one piece of advice you can offer for married couples – how to make it to 40 years. Who knows… maybe my in-laws will offer that advice.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Family, Our Happy Place, Photo Heavy Post, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

Stalking Bees, Peaking Toms, and Dollar Store Adventures

August 12, 2011 By Kristen 6 Comments

So things haven’t been all “depressing” around these parts. We’ve been laughing a lot. About a lot of funny nothings. And those funny nothings add up to one funny post for the weekend. Here’s a list of the nothings:
1. Andrew and Addison are so stinking funny lately. We’ve been putting an emphasis on reading from their Bible every night and saying a prayer every night. One day this week, they fell asleep in the car, so we did our Bible story the next morning. Here’s how our conversation went:
Me: So, what was that story about?
Andrew: God was mad at Jesus because he wasn’t a good Santa.
Me: hmmm… I don’t think that was quite the point.
Andrew: Well, Jesus also loves the little children.
Me: Yes! Let’s sing. How about Jesus Loves the little children?
Everyone: singing the song…
Addison: Mommy! Stop Singing! I’m talking to Jesus over here!
Yeah… That’s our religious teaching over here… Just tell Mommy to shut up … and blame it on Jesus or Santa – whomever.

2. This past week we also celebrated my father’s birthday. My Dad and step mother came over for dinner and while we were lounging in the back yard we noticed this.

My father, ever the “creative problem solver” came up with several plans to eliminate the hornet’s nest. They became outrageous that I had to write them down.
Let’s take a bat to it.
Let’s go out at night, take a garbage bag, and just grab it.
Lets do like “Dual Survivor” and use a garbage bag to protect ourselves as we remove it. (see video)

Let’s use a golf club and “hack” it to death.
Let’s use a Shop Vac and suck them up.
Let’s use a BB Gun to shot it from its perch into a bag
Let’s use a tomahawk to knock it off into a bag
Let’s build a fire pit on top of a picnic table and burn them out. (oh… the allure of fire… now comes the real fun)
Let’s use a blow torch
Let’s use a trampoline and a blow torch
Let’s use Andrew sitting on Ray’s shoulders and a blow torch
Or… substitute a blow torch for a 2X4 with a Rag soaked in gasoline….
Unfortunately, my dad is unavailable to actually try any of these things… although, he is anxious to see how we make out.

3. Additionally… Ray and I are sort of toying with the idea of moving again. Our house was on the market when I was pregnant with Alexander. We struggled to sell it (doesn’t everyone?) but … it seems an opportunity may have arisen for us to move into a bigger house. For those of you who are curious:
Our master bedroom is 10.5 X 10.5 square feet. Yup… that’s the master. Trust me, if you were ever going to rob someone – we are not the house to rob. We could all use a little more space. So… this afternoon my partner in crime cousin and I decided to scope out the potential new property. Some people may call it “Peeping Tom” … we call it “checking out the neighborhood.” Besides – the house is a brand new construction – thus: empty. We decided we wanted to go under cover… just in case -

Definitely a great disguise. (Oh… and incognito is the Word of the Day on Sesame Street Today!)

4. Finally – today is Ray’s Birthday. The love of my life is turning 35. Ahhhh… remember – having a birthday is way better than the alternative – not having one. So, I took my kids to the dollar store to pick out a few gifts for Ray. (Yes, I got the idea from Kelle Hampton – but I’m not ashamed to admit it!) Here are photos or our awesome shopping trip.

5. Other miscellaneous – Alexander got a vaccination the other day and it put hi in a grumpy mood. We were up most of the night. We’ve been up a lot lately. In the middle of the night. We are going to have to work on this. Anyway, the twins became obsessed with giving shots and giving medicine. Weirdly proud that they went right for the “mickey button” area on their doll babies.
We also finished the Dinosaurs my dad and I were making for the twins. They are crayon holders and Andrew and Addison love them. They ask me several times a day to get a coloring book and their dinosaurs out. I honestly thought they would not take the time to put the crayons in, but they are so proud of them… they are very careful. Awesomeness! To read about my adventures making these dinosaurs, click HERE.

And… tomorrow is the celebration of my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. They are renewing their vows. Complete Awesomeness. I love that it is a big deal… because you know what? 40 years of marriage is a big deal. That is 40 years of hard work. And anyone who says marriage is not hard work has never been married, or been married too many times. People just don’t take those vows “till death do us part” as seriously as they used to. I love that my mother and father in law can be a great example to us on how to make a marriage work. And I can’t wait to celebrate with them… and share a little bit of the love with you.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Crap that only happens to me, Times when I should know Better, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

There is a bond…

June 26, 2011 By Kristen 1 Comment

that is shared between families with children with rare syndromes. It is this indescribable thing. The bond is especially strong between the mothers, but really it is a family thing. They are the people who pull you through the darkest hours. They are the people who have been there / done that. They are the people who understand big words and complex medical terms. I remember the first gathering Ray and I ever went to. Alexander was only 6 weeks old and we were invited to this get together in New Jersey. Half way through the party, everyone started pulling down their kids diapers to show off their sacral dimple. We were talking about Alexander’s sacral dimple, and one of the mothers didn’t know what that was. Promptly – 5 other mothers grabbed their kids and said, “here – it looks just like this… a dimple right at the top of their hiney.” The odd little birth defect was suddenly not so odd. We fit. Every gathering is like this. A warm feeling comes over my heart and my smile is at rest. Actually – one family was not there – so I had my cell phone handy to text important things to the mom so she wouldn’t feel so far away. I even snapped a few pictures to send in text with little messages like, “we miss you.” Want to see? In our new world there are few places where the stress of the unknown fades into laugh lines around our eyes and mouth. Everyone is a little older, new people are welcomed into the club no one ever wanted to join, and families rejoice in the presence of each other.

This is what it is all about…. Beautiful miracles.

Families gathering. Sharing stories. Sharing support. All you really need is a friend who “knows.”

Best of friends who hold and love your very own miracle baby.

You are proud to know them. Because they are proud of your child. They don’t see WHS. They see Alexander.

Children play. My kids lovin’ on Tanner…..

Addison shows Tanner her favorite trick. She loves to “tickle, tickle, tickle.”

Other children love on Alexander…. it warms your heart.

From the youngest chld

To the oldest child…

And all the families in between….

Children were the light of the day

Friends pass around kids. Friends gather in small clusters. And … believe it or not – it was so rare that I even talked about WHS. We talked about adoption, love, life, bro-mances, girly things, terrible twos, tantrums, and everything wonderful. But these people totally get it.

One final thought….. There is nothing quite like a daddy holding his son.

Amazing day. Amazing people ~ given the gift of Amazing children.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Our Happy Place, Photo Heavy Post, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate, WHS

The Best Mother’s Day Ever.

May 9, 2011 By Kristen 2 Comments

Yesterday was the best mother’s day ever. I woke up happy. Truly happy. My best friend (in her pregnant glory) was sleeping on the couch, the twins were chattering away, and my sweet baby was a year old.

We woke and got ready for church. Yesterday was my “presentation” for our church. I’m in the middle of editing the video of it – so hopefully I can get it up later today.

During the service – I looked out. My childhood friends were in the pews. My childhood “second mother” who babysat me and instilled great values in me sat in a back pew. The “second mother” to my children – their own babysitter sat with her family in a pew toward the front. Our friends and family were there to support us. We are beyond blessed by the amount of support we receive.

But a mini miracle happened last night. I wish I had my camera with me to capture this moment… but I didn’t. I wish I had a video camera to show everyone what Alexander did… but I didn’t.

Instead I have this silly photo.

Yes, you are looking at the picture of a banana. Because the part of the banana that is missing Alexander ate. ATE. not mashed up. I cut it into quarters by length. And he ATE EACH PIECE. He chewed the pieces up and swallowed them. What a wonderful end to a beautiful day.

I had one more surprise when I went to go back to bed. On my pillow Ray had placed this essay. I like this one a million times better than the Welcome to Holland essay. Not only was it a beautiful essay to read on Mother’s Day ~ it was such a kind gesture from my husband. Sometimes I think it is easy for us to feel overlooked. (Isn’t that what Mother’s day is really all about anyway?)

It was the perfect gift for Mother’s day… Acknowledgement.

Here is a copy of the essay:

The Special Mother

by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

“Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint…give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity.”

“Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia.”

“Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew.”

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, “Give her a handicapped child.”

The angel is curious. “Why this one God? She’s so happy.”

“Exactly,” smiles God, “Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel.”

“But has she patience?” asks the angel.

“I don’t want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she’ll handle it.”

“I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I’m going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that’s not going to be easy.”

“But, Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you.” God smiles, “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect – she has just enough selfishness.” The angel gasps – “selfishness? is that a virtue?”

God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she’ll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a ‘spoken word’”. She will never consider a “step” ordinary. When her child says ‘Momma’ for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!”

“I will permit her to see clearly the things I see…ignorance, cruelty, prejudice….and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side”.

“And what about her Patron saint?” asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air. 

God smiles, “A mirror will suffice.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Childhood Memories, Eating Issues, My Journey in Faith, Special Needs, Sweet Child of Mine, We've Got A Reason to Celebrate

The Birthday that Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

Don’t Jinx It.

Christmas Magic

“My Sweet” Third Birthday

A Time for Everything

Beef and Beer… how can this go wrong?

Making 40

Stalking Bees, Peaking Toms, and Dollar Store Adventures

Definitely a great disguise. (Oh… and incognito is the Word of the Day on Sesame Street Today!)

There is a bond…

The Best Mother’s Day Ever.

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