Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We hope this day finds you surrounded by those you love and lots of hugs and kisses as we celebrate the precious birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!
Reflecting back on this year we have been blessed beyond measure. Last year was a bitter sweet time for us as we lay on a ledge (we turned into a bunkbed haha) in Pediatric ICU over looking the Houston Zoo. We were so sad for our precious baby boy who had been through more than any 18 day child should ever have to go through in his life time, we were so sad not to be at home around our own Chritmas tree on Christmas day as we had always imagined to be, but we were for the first time.... not caught up in the gifts and the non sense of Christmas we were covered by the grace of Jesus, and we were given a HOPE and a FUTURE for our miracle baby. We had faith that could move mountains and we were over joyed with what the Lord was doing in our lives. We were able to minister to over thousands of people through our blog and journey with Hank's heart surgery. We were so excited for what the Lord had in store for us. He used us in the following ways: we received letters telling us how through our story of Hank they were able to give there own troubles in perspective and were encouraged that if we could get through than they also could, we were able to mentor a family that was going through the exact same thing with their son Jayden, we were able to collect 38 toys for the Children's hospital for Chrismtas, and we were even able to go to the hospital and give back with our time and help with a Chritmas party for the sick children.
The party was such a blessing. Being away from the hospital I had forogtten what it felt like to really be in the shoes we were in last year. The children from the hospital were all facing many different illnesses. Some were never going to be able to come home. Some were going through chemo and had lost all of their hair, had no energy to even write a letter to Santa, didn't even want to be out of their rooms. The truth is I have no idea what they were going through but I did feel a sadness in my heart for them. They were sad and it was written all over there face. There were children with IV's stuck in their precious little perfect hands, and some had halos around their heads, some were attached to oxygen tanks, and others were just in plain wheel chairs, some were in wagons with pillows and no energy to raise up their heads. But one family in particular touched my heart, I felt so much sadness for them, I directly related to the mom and the story goes something like this....
Derric was at the gingerbread ornament decorating station and I was at Letters to Santa. A mom, dad, and 2 boys came up to my station and wanted to write a letter to Santa. One little boy sat very quitely as his father kneeled down beside his wheel chair, the mother and brother sat beside me in the chairs around a round table. The healthy little boy next to me started to write his card to Santa. I helped him spell out words and keep his attention away from his sick little brother who was not feeling very well. The sick little boys monitors kept going off and the mothers eyes would get really big and would look to the father for reassurance, and it absolutely broke my heart. I remember feeling that same way, feeling so scared and so concerned for my little boy. I remember how my heart would stop and I would get a lump in my throat evey time I would hear the monitors go off and my eyes would race to look at the oxygen level of my little boy. I too would look to my husband for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I got to talk with the mom for a little bit. Of course I didn't ask any questions just listened... She asked who I was and why I was there to help. I told her that I was just a mom of a little boy who was also invited to go to this same christmas party last year. I told her that my son had monitors just like her sons and that he had heart surgery. She told me that her little boy, who I learned was 5, has been in and out of the hospital for years, and has had multiple heart surgeries. She said he just keeps getting sick. It literally broke my heart, you know everyone says that if you had to choose one heart defect to have it would be TGA like Hank because once it is repaired sucessfully you shouldn't ever have to have another one. That is so great for us, we are so blessed but it crushes my heart for those other families who don't know if their child will ever recover. We really did enjoy bringing smiles to theses children's faces by talking to them and telling them how smart and handsome or beautiful they were and anything to just be an encouragement to them. It was a wonderful event and we can't wait to do it again next year.
It is truly awesome to be home this year with a healthy family around our own Christmas tree. I hope that every one has a very Merry Chritmas and a happy New Year.
