Not Fair and Not Forsaken

This last week has been rough.
It's left me at points wanting to cross my arms and stomp my feet and yell "NOT FAIR NOT FAIR NOT FAIR!!!"
Pierson is doing great, but there have been other things that have broken our hearts.
First, a guy I used to broadcast with during my radio days was hit by a drunk driver head on. He was injured and his 24 year old girlfriend was killed. She was an only child.
Not fair.
Then, the younger brother of a friend of ours was killed. He was getting on the on ramp on the highway and something happened and he crashed his motor cycle on the highway. The next day I drove past where his bike had been traced with spray paint by the police for the investigation. It was downright chilling. Our friend's brother was in his early 20s too. We'll bury him tomorrow.
Not fair.
Some of you might remember our heart friend David that we asked you to pray for in July. He has HLHS and had the last of the three surgeries this specific CHD requires to be "repaired" in June. His condition continued to deteriorate to the point where he was evaluated for a heart transplant. Earlier this week they learned that David would not be a candidate for a heart transplant.
Not fair.
Through the week sweet David has continued to decline to the point where a palliative care cath lab procedure has been ruled out and he is being sent home on hospice to spend his final days surrounded by his family in the comfort of his home.
Double, triple, quadruple, wholly and completely, undeniably, TOTALLY UNFAIR!!! No one should have to take their child home to die because no child should have to die, especially not at 3.
Through this all, David's mom's words have been full of salt and light.
Their goal is to make memories with David, good ones. They are honoring and glorifying God and still praising Him in this violet unrelenting storm. It would be easy to be angry, bitter or get lost in grief or close everyone out, but that's not what they're doing. The situation sucks, bottom line, but they are choosing life in the face of death. They are incredible.
The general consensus of all of the heart parents we know is extreme sadness. I hate congenital heart disease. More than words can express, I deeply hate it. One of my friends and fellow heart moms found a creative and effective way to express the anger that so many of us are feeling. She smashed watermelons inscribed with not only CHDs but also other diseases and illnesses. I just about cried when I looked at the water melons ridden with disease and sadness, but I smiled when I saw them smashed. It reminded me of something. Jesus overcame all of these conditions and ultimately, death, when he died on the cross. If that's not your belief system, that's fine, but it is mine.

Those smashed watermelons with the diseases smashed to bits were symbolic to me. No matter what the doctors ever tell us about our kids, Jesus has already overcome. He hasn't left us or forsaken us. He even tells us that He's close to the broken hearted; which is a double entendre for heart families.
Please keep the family of all of the people I have mentioned in your prayers. They are all hurting so deeply right now.
It's times like this that I have to remember: Hard, horrible things happen. But God tells us He will not forsake us. It's a sweet and precioyspromise to remember when things seem so unfair.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Hebrews 13:5-6 “Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid."

The "S" Word

It's been a long time since we've updated on Pierson's health. We haven't updated in a while because we haven't had much to post. No news is very much good news in this particular situation. Today we're updating about something.
After Pierson's surgery we noticed several changes in him. Nothing too unusual that we wouldn't expect following a surgery as major as heart surgery, but still, some things. We really didn't think anything of it other than these changes are all part of the healing process and Pierson had been a very sick little boy leading up to the surgery.
Some of the things we noticed were that he would fall a lot, clenched his left arm to his side and had a crooked smile.
His preschool teachers noticed major discrepancies in where he should have been with his fine motor skills so we started occupational therapy in November. He has made a lot of progress but there were still some things that we just couldn't connect exclusively to muscle weakness. He had some other screenings and it was suggested that Pierson may have suffered a small stroke leading up to or after his heart surgery. The more I looked in to it the more I found out that small strokes were very common among kids with congenital heart disease. Still, I did not want to believe that this was what had happened to P. Stroke? That seemed serious.
After some encouragement from some specialists I finally got the name of a good neurologist who understands heart kids from two other amazing heart moms and made an appointment. Then I got scared and cancelled it. 5 times. What was I so afraid of? Sitting across from another specialist and hearing more bad news. I was talking to another heart mom who has also had her fair share of neurology consults for her daughter and her words were so comforting. Her daughter has overcome so much already. Why was I scared again? If she can do it I can do it.
So we went, Pierson was examined, the neurologist checked everything he needed to check. His verdict was he believes a small embolism broke off from his heart some time after his heart surgery and caused a small stroke on the right side of his brain. We've been doing the right thing getting him occupational therapy for the last nine months. The neurologist said if his right side strength is a perfect 10 then his left side strength is an 8. Not bad from where we started out. It will take him longer to do things like ride a bike, draw a picture, write words etc. But he will get there.
This is not anyone's fault. Pierson received the best care possible at his hospital and his doctors and nurses were second to none. This is just part of congenital heart disease -- It doesn't effect just the heart. I know a lot of heart kids who have had strokes. It just happens.
The funny thing is, hearing this news was not devastating. Finding out Pierson's heart was broken was like getting hit upside your entire body with a baseball bat. Finding out Pierson had a stroke was like finding a puzzle piece missing from a complicated puzzle you had been working on for a while. So, we're ok with this. It's done and we're working on correcting the effects of the stroke.
We're choosing to look at this as a way that God is building P's character. Having to work hard never killed anyone. He will grow up knowing his strength comes from the Lord, not himself.

So, the right side of his brain is injured and he will always live with congenital heart disease. But guess what he can do way better than most 4 year olds? Swim! And he's fast! He has been watching the Olympics and he may be Michael Phelps' biggest little fan. The other day in the pool he asked me to call him "Michael Phelps". If anyone knows where I can score some Michael Phelps memorabilia or if he is doing any Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana appearances please let me know. P would be in Heaven!
Our prayer for Pierson is that his body and brain and heart will all continue to heal. He's still an average kid and to look at him you would never know anything was ever wrong with him. He's going to do just fine in life and like the neurologist said, 3 years old is a great time to have a stroke because you're already getting stronger and learning new skills anyway. He's got a lot of life to live. Live it out strong little man!

One Year Later: Right Where We're Supposed to Be

This is a post I meant to write a few weeks ago on Pierson's 1 year surgery anniversary date. No matter how hard I tried the words just weren't coming. I think it's because God was still preparing my heart to write this. I still had some emotions to properly process, and some things the Lord was placing on my heart that I had to wait on and listen to understand.
The days following P's diagnosis and surgery everything was so heavy and hard to understand. We never once asked "why?" - because it didn't seem like a logical question. When something major like this happens that breaks your heart to the point where nothing makes sense (follow me here) the not making sense of the situation actually makes sense.
This has been the most growth-filled year our lives. We have been remolded and reformed in to new beings. We have a new cause we are passionate about. We have a new way to look at life (it is so precious and fragile) a new spirit, a new passion and a new, deep chapter in our story. Even though this is Pierson's heart defect and congenital heart disease journey it feels like it's ours because we are very much on his journey too. He doesn't go at it alone -- we're with him the whole way. It's a reminder of how our Heavenly Father doesn't leave us alone on our journey here on earth. None of us are created to go on our journey alone.
What the Lord has been pressing on my heart the last few weeks is that we are right where we are supposed to be. We began attending a new church a few weeks ago and we recently had a sermon about how God puts us right where we are supposed to be. To long for the times before we knew Pierson had a  CHD, when we had only been in a children's hospital for tubes or from the comfort of our couch on TV for fundraisers is not right. Instead we should be standing where we are rejoicing and knowing that God carefully wrote in the plan for our lives that we would be right here. He created Pierson's heart the way He did for a reason. Even though it breaks our hearts, and the Lord's heart is broken that we hurt, He has a plan and has ordained our every step for this time and in this place.
It's not an accident that in an area that has 3 great children's hospitals that could have cared for Pierson that we ended up at the one that we did. It's not an accident that our pediatrician and P's cardiologist did their residencies together. I'm sure neither of them thought when they met all those years ago that together someday they would save a boy who was almost out of time. Both of these doctors are Christians - and we are blessed to have our son cared for by both of them - God had them right where they were supposed to be. Their professional friendship sent us to the specific hospital where P had his surgery which introduced us to Pierson's wonderful surgeon, whose staff encouraged us to get involved in the congenital heart group support group. From the congenital heart support group we were introduced to a couple who walked us through what to expect during and after P's heart surgery. Because of them I felt confident enough to talk to another mom in the waiting room a few days after Pierson's surgery while her daughter was having surgery. It's not an accident that we have met so many amazing CHD parents this year. It's no coincidence that we have been called to be advocates for congenital heart disease and to encourage others and minister to them and love on them. It's not a coincidence that our hearts have been broken by the Lord for this. This was all part of His plan. 
As painful as it has been we are right where we are supposed to be and we are called to praise God in this place. We seek His will as to what we are to do to serve Him in this special place that He has placed us.
We have been blessed to meet some incredible people this year. I'm convinced that the greatest risk factor for being born with a congenital heart defect is having amazing parents. Seriously. These parents, truly incredible. We have met some of the nicest, most caring people ever. The CHD world is a unique place; A place where we're all supposed to be even though we desperately don't really want to be. We have been blessed by them whether they realize it or not.
The world may view Pierson's heart defect as a "fluke" but we don't. We know he was made this way for a purpose and God has a plan for his sweet life. God has used our little boy for his glory in so many ways already and we praise Him for this. Even though this was not how we would have chosen, it's what He has chosen for him. Our job now is to help him grow strong in the Lord and have him tell about the great things God has done for him.
People often ask "Is Pierson ok now?" The short answer, he's doing very well right now. The long answer: congenital heart disease is a lifelong condition and you never know what's ahead so in the meantime we live life and praise God for each day. We will speak of His greatness and help educate the community on what to look for in their babies and children so more lives like Pierson's will be saved.
It's been a whole year. And here we stand. Right where we are supposed to be.
As you praise God for Pierson, please remember our sweet heart friend David and his family. He has HLHS and has had a rough recovery to say the least after his Fontan surgery. Pray for God's healing for sweet David. 

Our family watching fireworks on the 4th this year. 

What a difference a year makes!

Being a Daddy isn't for Wimps

I love this dad (and the sweet little boy on his shoulders)

It's gotta be hard to be a dad. Theoretically, dad's are supposed to be strong and invincible. Somehow, they're supposed to be solid rocks who no matter what happens stand strong, chin tilted up in the air with their capes waving in the wind complete with a tool belt, a ample pay check in one hand and a football in the other saying "No fear! Daddy is here! No one and no thing shall ever penetrate our family!"
That's a pretty lofty expectation to live up to.
No pressure or anything. 
In reality, things do happen that a dad can not protect his family from. In our family that thing is of course Pierson's heart defect. I married a man who can fix and build almost anything -- it's one of his spiritual gifts. No tool in his arsenal could have fixed Pierson's heart.
Dad's are supposed to be strong, stoic and invincible. That being said, on this heart journey the last year, some of the times when Jeff has been the weakest -- he has actually had just the strength Pierson and I needed. That had to have come from the Lord -- no other explanation for that. 
When we sat there in the exam room and Dr. Laird was explaining to us what was wrong with Pierson's heart I looked over at Jeff and there were tears in his eyes. I think our society looks at men crying as weak but that couldn't be further from what I was feeling about my husband in that moment. Being able to see with my own eyes that he was just as devastated as I was - was just what I needed because it made me feel like the cyclone of emotions I was feeling were ok. I wasn't looking at him for answers at that point, just affirmation. 
I can't imagine what a blow finding out there is something wrong with your child is for a father. Dad's have to be not only strong for their child but also for their wives. Moms get it easier, we only have to be strong for our child - and we get to have emotional meltdowns completely guilt free. 
I applaud the dads who don't just walk away from this, or pretend like nothing is wrong. So to all the dads who try to figure out what's on the echo screen - The dads who have set awake by your child's bedside in the hospital -The dads who have cried bitter tears over your child and had snot dripping out your nose - For all the dads who have carried your children because they were too weak to walk - For all of you dads who have felt like your hands were tied to fix the situation - For all the dads who have looked at their hard earned paycheck, then looked at a hospital bill and felt discouraged because the bill is greater than the check you just brought home, take heart. God has already given you all your need!

 ^{1 Corinthians 1:4-10} Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you—it's beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

This morning in church we laid hands on all the fathers and prayed over them. Being a dad is a big job and the expectations and responsibilities are huge. I need to pray for Jeff more than I do, and I will start doing that. He's an amazing dad and I need to do that better to honor him. Pray over the dads over your life -- heart dad, special needs dad, or regular dad. They all need it -- they have a really hard job! God is good to us and is the ultimate father and the only father who is perfect. 

I'm thankful that I married a man who gets it: while at the same time knows that there's more to get so he keeps working at it. I'm thankful for how I've seen him be forced to grow over the last year. 

To all the heart dads out there, happy Father's Day!

I leave you with a comical video they showed before our sermon this morning. Classic dad. Enjoy! 

Happy Birthday Little Conqueror... And Many More...

We shouldn't have had a cake. We shouldn't have had candles. We never should have been able to send out birthday party invitations. We shouldn't have had phone calls and emails from Pierson's friends' parents telling us they were excited and coming to his birthday party.
But we did.

We shouldn't have been able to do any of this, but because our pediatrician wanted to find a reason for his high blood pressure, Pierson's cardiologist quickly diagnosed his heart defect and Pierson's surgeon corrected it before it was too late we got to.
We got to celebrate Pierson completing his 4th year of life. Because God is gracious and good to us - we got to. 

We are thankful that it was God's plan for Pierson to live a fourth year and not die in it. He really did a lot of living too! 

Pierson and I went on a mommy/son date not too long ago to a play center that housed a giant indoor playground. Pierson decided he for sure wanted to have his party there. I asked multiple times giving him multiple locations and options but he held fast to his original party location. Oh and he has been talking about his birthday party for months now. In March his preschool teacher told me they were talking and he told her she needed to come to his birthday party. Sweet boy.
We got to have Pierson's 4th birthday party last Saturday. It was wonderful and emotional and so so very special. In the past Pierson's birthdays and parties have marked the end of one year and the beginning of another. A new age. This year that couldn't be further from what we were actually celebrating.
This year we celebrated P being alive. He lived another year. This time last year it never would have crossed our minds that P was living on borrowed time or that the next week we would start our heart journey with a scary high blood pressure reading.
I tried to decide what we were really celebrating this year: That he lived? Yes. That he's still here? Yes. That he had another year of life? Yes. Then it dawned on me: What we are celebrating is that Pierson conquered another year of life. Conquered.
He went through more in this year of his life than most people do in their entire lives. We've heard words used to describe heart kids like "hero" and "survivor" and those are very appropriate and very true. But I would like to add another one to that list -- Conquerors.
This year Pierson has taught us what it is to live life and what it means to do so with bravery and gusto. The only thing this kid ever complained about after heart surgery was his catheter (can you blame him?) and once he said that he didn't like the oxygen in his nose. That's it. Pierson (like most heart kids) was up and ready to go on with life while mine and Jeff's emotional scars were still healing. He's had to relearn how to do some things as a complication of the congenital heart disease itself, but he never complains about it -- and occupational therapy is hard work. He tries new things, and is constantly full of joy and laughs. He may be missing some of his aorta but this kid isn't missing any life. He plays HARD -- even if he does get tuckered out a little easier than other kids he still plays with all he has. He tries new things and loves going on adventures. He gets it: Life is a get to situation. Because of that, I dub Pierson and other heart kids conquerors. We could learn from them, we should all conquer life. Instead of just marking getting older we should celebrate being alive and still being here. We should celebrate all we accomplished in the past year and all we will conquer in the coming year.

Pierson's dream cake! Look at all the detail!

P and his bff playing at his birthday party

We have really celebrated Pierson's 4th birthday. Unintentionally, we spread out his celebrated for an entire week. We had his big birthday party last weekend. He had a blast with his friends and it was so great to see them all play together. Pierson also had what might have been world's most wonderful birthday cake. There is an amazing foundation called Icing Smiles that gives kids facing chronic and terminal illness a chance to wish for any cake they can dream of and have a baker make their dream cake come to life -- free of charge to the family. We applied for an Icing Smile for Pierson and his wish was granted. When we asked Pierson what he would want if he could have any kind of cake in the world he said "Mickey Mouse Club House with a blue garbage truck with a red start on it". I sent that description in to Icing Smiles and they matched us with an amazing cake baker/decorator named Cathy. She is a super sweet big-hearted and very talented woman. She made an actual Mickey Mouse Club House out of cake. Every detail was there. It even had an upslide. And she made Pierson a garbage truck (currently residing in our freezer) out of pure fondant. It was so real that Pierson tried to play with it! It was so special to have this as the centerpiece for Pierson's birthday party. He loved it. We were so touched by the gift of this cake. Cathy (the baker) and Icing Smiles blessed P and our family. It was such a special mark of the year he had conquered and was celebrating. One of the kids at his party sang "...and many more..." after he blew out his candles. I had never thought of those words meaning something before. Yes God, please. Many many many more.
Pierson is a sweet kid and instead of presents for himself he told me he wanted to get some books for the hospital. Me:"Instead of presents for you?" P:"Books for the heart kids cart." (Books from that cart were a blessed distraction during his hospital stay) I asked him if he was sure and he said yes. So I asked him again later, still yes. We somehow collected 17 books from 12 guests to be donated to his hospital's congenital heart unit. I thought it special that he was given a cake because he's a heart kid, and that he also chose to give to help other heart kids.

Pierson giving the books to his child life specialist Margarita (she is amazing!)

P bringing in his books and posing in front of his favorite heart 

Later in the week we went to the water park with some friends and had a great time. Pierson and he love for life inspired an adventure of going down the big slide on the little kid side of the water park. I went down with him once then he told me he could do it all by himself. I promise you he went down that slide 100 times in every possible position.

P and Jack laughing and living it up at the water park

 Today we went bowling. P's idea. We're not sure where he came up with it but he decided to go bowling so Jeff, P and I went. We had a really great time! Pierson had bumpers in his lane and totally creamed us during the first game. We came back in the second game though. None of us will be joining a bowling league any time soon -- but we had fun!

Then we drove out to the landfill in  and watched the garbage trucks coming in and out and dumping their loads on top of the mountain of trash. Pierson was in heaven.
We then ended his official birthday day with a nearly 4 hour swim session. Our fingers may never  un-shrivel.
We are all exhausted tonight but our little conqueror has been well celebrated today. We really celebrate him every day. We will never take another birthday for granted again. None of us - heart healthy or not - have any guarantees. We need to get our get to instead of have to attitudes on so we can live each day to its fullest and conquer life.
There's a whole lot we can learn from heart kids.
Happy birthday dear Pierson. And many many more...

4 years ago today just after 3:04pm

Today a just after 4pm

Happily Ever After and CHD Parent Marriages

I've heard that the 7th year of marriage is the hardest. Well good news! As of Tuesday we will have officially made it through our 7th year and will boldly embark on our 8th year of marriage. Jeff and I have talked about the whole "Seven Year Itch" thing that many couples experience during this year and came to the conclusion that we have had no time for itching this year. Pierson was diagnosed with his CHD one month and one day after our seven year wedding anniversary.
On Friday night we had the chance to get away to our favorite restaurant in  Dallas to celebrate another year. We love going this restaurant. They treat you like royalty and make a really big deal out of your anniversary. They brought us a piece of wedding cake on the house to share after our main course. I don't know what they put in that cake but it's the best cake in the whole world. As we ate it I laughed. I looked at Jeff and said "Remember last year when we were eating this and had not a care in the world and no idea what was directly before us?" He laughed too. "If we had only known..."
This is not a boast-post where I talk about how we have the world's most beautiful marriage. I feel like with social media sometimes people feel like they need to put on a front to make their life, their kids, their marriage, jobs, vacations etc look like they're flawless. Well that's lying folks. The truth is there are challenges. Sometimes things aren't cute.
This year Jeff and I have learned about each other in a whole new way. We've been forced to grow in ways we were not comfortable growing in. We have seen each other incredibly weak and incredibly strong within rather short periods of time. We have cried, hard. We have prayed together with quiet cracking voices through tears over our child before he went in for heart surgery. We've taken a scary ER trip when P had chest pains. We've taken turns staying awake by P's bedside at night in the congenital heart surgery unit so neither of us would have to leave P. We felt stronger together. We've watched P's eyes roll back in to his head together. We've received good news and horrible news together. We have learned in a whole new way how we each handle stress, sadness, fear, anger and hope. The funny thing about strong emotions in marriage is that they don't effect one person, they effect two. I am thankful for his strong arms that have wrapped around when I've grieved. I know that the Lord has wrapped His arms around us both during those times.
When I agreed to go out on a date with Jeff when I was 17 and he was 19 I don't think we thought ahead to what our life would be twelve years later. It didn't take us long to figure out we loved each other and it was God's will for us to marry. But if someone had come up to us on our wedding day and said "Congrats you two. Life has bumps and potholes along the way. Those hazards are going to affect your life and marriage. Oh, and by the way you're going to have a child born with a broken heart who will need heart surgery. He's also going to have other special needs as well. Hold on to your hats young'ens. You're not going to get through your first decade of marriage without going down a rocky road." the 21 year old me would have shoo'ed them out of our wedding celebration. On your wedding day you just assume that this is "happily ever after" and that from that point on life will be just that and nothing else.
That's not life, and that's not marriage.
I looked at some statistics on the internet and from what I gathered from various resources I found couples of children with special needs have divorce rates as high as 85%. Yes you read that right: eighty-five-percent. Heartbreaking.
It's sad, and may be hard to fathom. A year ago I would have thought that was a ridiculous statistic. Now this part makes me sad to admit about myself, this time last year I may have even judged the people who were part of the eighty-five percent. But now I can look at it and say, yeah I can totally see that happening.
Marriage takes work. Everyone knows that. There's no such thing as a perfect person and we have to work at loving each other in spite of our faults and failures daily. There are some days we are more in love with each other than others. (Again, I apologize if this is rocking anyone's world or shattering their fairy tale image of marriage but I'm being truthful.) There is nothing not-stressful about having an ill or special needs child.  Even when you intentionally seek to find and rejoice in the blessings, there are still some hard times. So you're weak from the full time job of caring for this child and you're in a growing relationship with someone else who is equally as weak from doing the exact same thing. I can see why this doesn't work more times than it does.
I am thankful for our marriage. I am thankful for our seventh year. I am thankful that the Lord has held us through this year. I am thankful that He has put people in our life that keep us accountable and remind us of the big picture. Year seven for sure had a different share of challenges than many couples' seventh year. We were just too tired and busy to deal with the "itch" of year seven. We were busy with hospitals and doctors and learning about this new world that we, as a married couple with our child - our family unit - had been thrust in to. I'm thankful that even as a couple who many thought were kind of young to be getting married, we made an intentional choice to base our marriage on the Lord. We had no idea how important that base, that foundation would be this year.
I learned some new things about Jeff this year. Maybe I relearned some things. Probably both. I learned that one of the ways God made us to compliment each other is Jeff's ability to organize and lead me and P. Quite literally lead me and P. I still can't find my way around the hospital. I never realized how close P's cardiologist and surgeon's offices are. I just always followed Jeff through what felt like a maze. He also had a folder and file made up of all of P's papers. So thankful for that. I'm not as organized as I would like to be. I also appreciate Jeff making me feel like I'm not over guessing or over analyzing things. I appreciate his support of me in everything that I do. I appreciate him sacrificing things that he would like to have so we can pay outrageous therapy co-pays and hospital bills etc. I appreciate him being a rock, even when he probably would rather not be because it is such a large responsibility. I appreciate having a friend on this journey. My best friend. I don't think we've ever laughed or cried so much in one year. What a blessing it has been not to have to do this alone.
We were too busy growing and clawing through life to itch this year.
I'm sure this won't be our only trial -- again, life is hard.  I hope that someday I'll be able to give perspective from someone who has been married for 67 years, not just 7! I am thankful to be on this journey with you. I love you Jeff Hale.

Not the best picture of us, but I cherish it all the same!

The Joy is in The Journey

The funny thing about a CHD is that it doesn't end after heart surgery. There is more to it than that.The diagnosis and congenital heart disease is always part of your child's life. Sometimes there are additional hurdles to overcome. The experience is forever. The people you meet deeply impact you. The last 2 weeks have been a combination of all of these things and a reminder to us that we are very much on a journey. A journey of joy, fear, mixed-emotions, tears, and gratitude. A reminder that through this journey we have a lot of life to live and can't let anything stand in the way of it.

The flyer came home on Monday. "Trike-a-Thon". It made me want to cry. My mom had picked P up from school that day. I looked at the flier and said to her "He's not strong enough to ride a bike yet". We've been working on it at home and his sweet little body just can't quite make a rotation and turn the pedals yet. It broke my heart. I read over the flier and it sounded like so much fun. Every kid was to bring their bike and helmet to school and they would get to ride it around the school and help raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Research hospital. Most kids I know P's age can ride a bike just fine. I even saw one friend's facebook status this week where their little girl who is P's age can ride without training wheels. He's not even strong enough to make a rotation of the pedals.
We've been aware that Pierson had low tone since November. He's been receiving occupational therapy since November and has made mega strides but he's still not where a child who is almost 4 should be. I think because he's doing so well in every day life I forget that all the things he can do so well he has had to fight for. It's not until something like this comes along that I feel that dagger and hurt for him all over again.
So I'm thinking: what are we going to do for this trike-a-thon thing? The good news is that he doesn't mind sitting on his bike and just scooting it with his feet. And then my head goes to, but will he mind when he sees all the other kids speeding by him pedaling their bikes? So I've been thinking of that all week...
Wednesday I took Pierson in to get his hearing rechecked by the school district. I took him in for an early childhood screening in the fall. He did great on everything but the fine motor skills and hearing. They told me his fine motor skills would improve soon (which I knew in my heart was wrong - so we sought private occupational therapy) and to come back in April to have his hearing re-screened. When we went in we met with the woman in charge of early childhood intervention and she said she wanted to re-screen Pierson completely. I agreed and she did the testing. They had changed testing methods since the fall. Pierson rocked pretty much the whole thing. His IQ is above average (so no excuses for not making A's mister!!) But... Yeah, there is a but. I got to sit across from another specialist and hear more bad news. It's not that it was new bad news, just I think hearing it again is like picking a scab on a deep wound.
She explained to me that Pierson is behind in his fine motor skills. I'm thinking, well, yeah I know that. And then she started talking about how Pierson will qualify for services through the school district -- and how she wanted to do a second round of testing. I had to work hard not to cry. We know he's behind and he's made a lot of progress, but I think hearing it again, from someone new was hard. Whether this is just physical from CHD and heart surgery or he somehow won the jackpot of neurological complications from undetected congenital heart disease is yet to be determined. Could be a combo of both. I think it's easy to forget how very very sick Pierson was for a long time and how close we came to losing him before we even knew he was in danger.
We will do whatever we need to do to get Pierson where he needs to be. Occupational therapy once a week privately, and once a week through the school district -- let's do it. Accommodations when he gets to kindergarten? You bet, whatever he needs to do. We know that life has been harder for Pierson than for most kids so far and that in many ways it may always be. We look at this as an opportunity to teach him his strength comes from the Lord. There are no excuses, no reason he can't do anything he wants to do. No reason he can't push himself to reach his full potential. Working hard never hurt anyone. It builds character. This is a chance to show him that God is bigger than any challenge he may face. And I swear  if anyone ever tells him he can not do something they better hide or face the wrath of this mama! Pierson's name means "strong" -and that's exactly what he is. I think in the end, a little challenge makes you stronger. Giving up is not an option.
Honestly, we will take Pierson having these challenges to overcome over what many other families have to deal with. Some heart families have children who can't walk on their own, eat via their mouth, or even breathe on their own. Some heart families have empty arms. Yes, we'll take these challenges and count them as blessings.
Now for the fun stuff!
We have had so much good in the last few weeks! We got to go to a Frisco Rough Riders game with our CHD support group. We had a blast. Pierson really enjoys baseball and our seats were great. He also loved the mascot. He had a pretty good conversation with him, but we couldn't quite hear what he said.

Sweet mommy son picture courtesy of world's best husband and father

P with the Rough Riders' mascot

We were also blessed to get to go have a super fun night at Sigma Alpha's Whole Hearts Foundation black tie dinner. These girls have done a phenomenal job taking on the cause of CHD awareness and raising money for the Whole Hearts Foundation. We sat at a table with two other heart families and an adult CHD survivor. We also met two young men from Sigma's brother fraternity BYX who are CHD survivors. One is Sigma's president's fiance who has a 3 chamber heart and TGA. Then we met another young man who had a CoA like Pierson. He had his most recent surgery 2 years ago before he started college. This was his third surgery. Both of these guys were doing great and living it up at college. It was so encouraging. We had a blast with our newest heart friends. What a precious couple. Their little girl has TGA -- and heaps of cuteness! We were talking about how encouraging it is to know that God made our children just the way they are on purpose. I have remembered that a lot this week. God made Pierson face the challenges for a reason. He made Pierson capable of handling these challenges. This is part of his greater plan. I've clinged to her wise words a lot this week.

Two of my sorority sisters. Cat (left) has a son with HRHS and Rachel (middle) was born with an ASD.

The amazing women of Sigma Alpha and some of the BYX guys. They raised a LOT of money for the Whole Hearts Foundation with this fundraiser and through others since January. So proud of these girls!!!

Me and my beautiful inside and out heart mommy friend Elisabeth

Our table laughed the most of any group there that night. We also shut down the place. No really, our group of 8 were the last to go. We got the idea when the DJ started taking his equipment down. One of the biggest blessings of being thrust in to the CHD world is all the wonderful people we have met. There are many blessings on this journey. You just have to take time to appreciate them and revel in them. 

Pierson also has officially finished his first soccer season. When he was on the field yesterday and the ref blew the whistle to signal end game it was kind of a sentimental time. We were blessed with a fantastic (VERY patient) coach who really helped these kids grow and a great team of parents who cared about kids having fun and nothing else.

P and his soccer trophy. He is oh-so-proud of it.

Icing face

Sweet boy kicking his ball

 Pierson said he was sad that soccer season is over. We told him he could play next year when Pre-K starts. From the back seat we heard a sigh and then he said "I am just growing up so fast."

Seeing him out there on the soccer field has been encouraging. And did I tell you that the number on his jersey is 1? I though that was so appropriate since he's the 1 in 100 born with a CHD. 

So... really we've had an eventful last two weeks and every moment, even the hard ones are sweet. Perhaps that's what makes the fun moments even sweeter.
It really is all a journey. We may not have chosen this road but it has it's own advantages. It may not be what other parents with kids our age are experiencing, but we get to see beauty and rejoice in things other parents may miss or take for granted. We get to choose joy in the hard times. Our hope comes from the Lord. 

Oh, and speaking of victories and choosing to rejoice -- last Friday at P's occupational therapy session I brought up the trike-a-thon dilemma. P's OT brought out something we had not tried before. Behold! Adaptive foot pedals! P did two laps around the therapy floor with minimal assistance to help with the handle bars and a bit of the push on the corners. It was a lot of work but he did it! Will he be ready be the trike-a-thon? Maybe,  maybe not. But it's a start, and it's encouraging. We'll get there. And for now, we're celebrating!

Psalm 25: 4-5  Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Uniquely Equipped

We were privilege to get to be a part of a really special event on Sunday. The Whole Hearts Foundation held a wonderful and beautiful event at the children's hospital in Dallas where Pierson is treated. I love the Whole Hearts Foundation. Here is why. It was founded by two very special heart parents, Sarah and Matt Hammitt. Matt Hammittt is the lead singer of Sanctus Real. Their baby boy Bowen was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. They almost lost him a right after his first open heart surgery. They are making a huge national reach to help children and families affected by congenital heart disease. We were honored to be part of this event. We got to meet Matt Hammitt and hear him sing "All of Me" from his solo album "Every Falling Tear" Out of his mouth and heart come words and truth that every frightened, overwhelmed heart parent has felt. I think that's why I've never met a heart parent who has heard "Every Falling Tear" and won't admit to sobbing their way through a good part of the album. It's not that it's sad, it's just that the songs speak what's gone on in our hearts too. We also heard him speak his heart about why the Whole Hearts Foundation is important and how he hopes to help others. I'm so excited that P's hospital is teaming up with Whole Hearts.What an incredible platform the Lord has given him to reach others who are hurting and confused. God has definitely uniquely equipped the Hammitts and those who run Whole Hearts. This is just the beginning. I can only imagine the impact the Whole Hearts Foundation will have 5, 10 years from now. Whole Hearts, the people who run it, and especially our local outreach coordinator and his wife (the incredible Hamilton family) have been such a blessing to us. I am so grateful.

Matt Hammitt and our family

Sunday, as I looked around at all these beautiful children and these families I was struck with something: Every single family in here is uniquely equipped to face the trials of Congenital Heart Disease. In the days following Pierson's diagnosis we constantly heard "I don't know how you guys are doing this" or "You're so strong". The fact was that in our eyes we were complete wrecks. But God was sustaining us and equipping us for everything that laid ahead.
These families are incredible. These children are incredible. It's not just walking through the valley of congenital heart disease that makes these people incredible. It's the incredible strength shown. I speak for my family and probably many others when I say this: This strength does not come from any one of us, but from the Lord. We are uniquely equipped. Blessed. We've been gifted strength to endure surgeries and bad news. The ability to encourage others. The ability to somehow overcome our anxiety about our child, their future, their heart, their life. We've also been given the ability to love uniquely. Before all of this, I would hear of someone who had a sick child and think, "oh, how sad." I would probably pray for them. But now, through this, our hearts have been softened. We feel deeper, we cry easier. Not because we are weak, but because our hearts have grown and our knowledge of what a sick child endures has been expanded. If anything, I think that this has helped us become more compassionate, less hardened. I never would have thought of myself as hardened or not compassionate before, but maybe I was. Maybe I had some walls up that God knocked down. This is a blessing.
No one ever thinks they will see their child's heart beating through their still open chest. No parent ever thinks they'll see the inside of a children's hospital for anything more than day surgery. No one thinks they will ever see their child intubated. No one thinks that they will push their child's nutrients through a tube in their  abdomen instead of giving them a bottle. No one ever thinks their child will need to be in a wheelchair or have to depend on every breath with the aid of a ventilator. No parent should ever have to think about losing their baby. No one should have to bury their own child. No one should have to do any of these things, but they do. Yet, we survive and are stronger for it - even though it hurts. Thousands of heart parents -- in various stages of their children's lives -- We have more than just broken hearts in common, we are all uniquely equipped. Our hearts are broken for our children, for each other, for the cause -- but our spirits are strong.

Made me think of this verse:
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Thank you Lord for equipping me.
So I have a fun picture. Wanna see?

We were not sure we would ever get to see this when we received P's diagnosis 9 months and 5 days ago. He is enjoying soccer and we are enjoying watching him. He has scored 1/4 of the goals for him team. (His team has only scored 4 goals this season, but hey, he has 1 of them!) Not too shabby for a kiddo who had heart surgery 8 months ago. He does tire easier than the other kids on his team, and that's hard to watch, but he's still doing great.
He gave us a little scare 2 weeks ago. He just stopped playing mid-play, walked off the field and said he was too tired and he wouldn't/couldn't go back on. He had seemed a bit more fatigued lately, so I took his blood pressure at home and it was a little high on the arm, and 10 points lower on his legs -- same thing at the pediatrician's office. So we'll watch that. It's probably scar tissue building up on his aorta. Nothing to freak out about yet, just something to watch.  He did much better and pretty much played the entire next game with the exception of two breaks after getting tackled and face planted in to the ground and then dead legged by his own team mate.
It may just look like a bunch of little kids running around on a field to some, but when we see P out there we see God's hand and His provision. We see hope and a future. We have peace. We know that our baby boy is uniquely equipped too.

The CHD Community: A Special Club

I am a sorority girl. There. I said it. No shame in it! I decided I wanted to join Sigma my junior year of high school when a really cool youth worker who is now one of my dearest friends (and we also happened to marry cousins so now we're family) drove up with that sticker on her car wearing a really cool t-shirt. I asked her what Sigma was and she told me about this amazing Christian sorority. I wanted that! So by the time I got to UNT my freshman year I knew exactly what I wanted -- to rush and pledge Sigma. I wanted it sooooo bad. I still remember carefully picking out my outfit for every rush event and going to my interview. Thankfully they gave me a bid and the rest of my college years were filled with fun, friends who really got me and the building of relationships with really great girls, some of which I am still actively doing life with. I wanted to be in that sorority, that community so badly and it was everything I dreamed it would be. That was a group that I chose that just so happened to choose me back when they handed me a bid.
Now for a group I did not choose to be in: The Congenital Heart world. Most would have turned down that bid. But it's not a bid that you can turn down. My sorority bid came on really pretty paper in a really pretty envelope delivered by really excited girls. I guess the equivalent of the bid we got for the CHD world was a sketch of Pierson's broken heart that his cardiologist artfully drew for us when he was gently explaining why P's heart was broken. Really it resembles more of a kidnapping than a bid delivery. As much as I would like our child to be heart healthy and to still be living in complete ignorant bliss not knowing what a congenital heart defect really is, that's not our situation. We were chosen to be a part of this group, this community.
The kicker here? We are thankful to be part of this community.
No, I haven't lost my mind. I know to some of you that sounds crazy. Why would you want to be part of that community? Everyone's sick! It's scary in there! People lose their children in this club. That's all true, but stick with me here.
I'm thankful for this community and this group because without it we would be completely lost and feel so alone. You've heard me talk about how 1 in 100 children has a congenital heart defect before. Because of how common this is there is a great community out there that not many people know about. It's made up of heart dads, heart moms and 40,000 new heart heroes in North America alone every year. These families have lived through the horror of learning their child has a broken heart, handed their broken babies over to capable strangers, many of them have seen their children's hearts beating through their still open chests. We've seen blood draining out of our children's chests through tubes, gathering in a tank of blood and fluid that would make most people vomit. We've watched as lines were pulled out of our children's hearts right there in the ICU as we watched and our kids didn't even flinch.  We've seen our precious little children put up a fight for their lives. We've seen them hurt. Oh, how we've seen them hurt.
So here we are, in this club. It's a helpful club filled with people who really get where you're coming from, even when your children don't have the same CHD. It's because of this club that we were able to meet a family who had a child with the same CHD as Pierson. These club members shared with us in brutal honesty and with incredible compassion what Pierson's surgery would be like, what he would look like the first time we saw him and even showed us their infant son's scars right in the middle of a Ben and Jerry's within minutes of meeting us.
The CHD Community is filled with Internet friendships. We find ourselves praying for children who live thousands of miles away and crying when a precious members of our community pass away too soon. We rejoice when a milestone is reached. We share stories and bounce ideas off of each other. We can talk about our kids hearts to each other and actually feel like the other person is following along because we all got a crash course in cardiac anatomy and CHDs.
And if you're really lucky, you get to be a part of a local chapter of this community. We are that lucky. Our local chapter of this club is called Amazing Little Hearts and it has blessed our hearts. The two big whole ones and the little repaired one. ALH is how we got to meet the couple that mentored us before Pierson's surgery. They are a great support system for families. Yesterday they put on their annual "Heart Party" honoring all the CHD survivors. I'll admit I had to choke back tears at one point watching all these little miracles running around as if nothing had ever happened to them. Precious little miracles. P had a blast!! I love that P will have memories of the hospital other than just heart surgery and "the noisy room" as he called the congenital heart surgery unit. We got to see our precious child life specialist Margarita, P's heart surgeon, Dr. Mendeloff and visit with some of our fellow community/club members. Every child, every family there has an incredible story to tell. To think how many of us would have empty arms tonight if God hadn't intervened and provided these doctors and nurses with the ability to save our children. My heart breaks for those who do have empty arms... that could be any of us.
This might not have been something we would have chosen, but we're thankful the Lord chose it for us. It's all part of His bigger plan for us, and Pierson's story. It's an honor to have received a bid.
That same awesome youth worker who is now my cousin-in-law that introduced me to Sigma wrote me these precious words in the days immediately following P's diagnosis: "Had this situation not happened, this "world" would have never existed for you, but new doors have been opened. Take them. Trust in God to lead. To heal. To transform. What a beautiful picture of taken a broken heart and making it heal and do what it needs to do. Much like God does with ours, transformation."
I get it now. Humble member, right here!

P on top of the catterpilar tail with his CHD Survivor ballon that he "never" wanted to take off his wrist.

Family pic @ the ALH Heart Party

A pic the hospital PR rep took and put up on their Facebook page

P and his wonderful, talented heart surgeon

P and his popcorn and the tree in the hospital lobby. 2 of his favorite things!

What You Can Do to Help a CHD Family

I think I know what a baseball feels like on the receiving end of Josh Hamilton's bat, because that's what it feels like. It feels like your whole body just got smacked with a giant baseball bat. You see the doctor's mouth moving but the words coming out are so foreign and unbelievable and your brain struggles to keep up, even though he's speaking plain English. It feels like someone has found a way to put your heart and stomach in a clamp and won't quit twisting it and trying to pull it out of your body. Like breathing is something you suddenly have to be conscious of because you might forget to breathe. That's how it feels in the first moments when you find out your child has a congenital heart defect and will require surgery. It's just the most horrible, terrible, awful, unreal feeling.
In the days leading up to Pierson's surgery we had so many sweet people ask what they could do for us. The truth is, we had no idea. We knew we needed prayer, so we always asked for it, but other than that we couldn't wrap our brains around what we needed (other than an escape from this nightmare).
Now that the surgery part of our journey is behind us (prayerfully, forever) we have some more perspective. There are many ways to help the family of a child with a CHD.
1. Pray. Even if praying "isn't your thing", give it a shot. I promise you we felt the prayers being lifted up for Pierson and ourselves. It never got old to have someone tell us that they were praying for us. It was also very touching when someone who didn't pray regularly told us they had said a prayer for Pierson. Pray on your own, pray with your family. Pull together a group of people while the child is in surgery if at all possible to lift up the surgeon and nurses operating on the child, the child's health, for them to be sustained and for a recovery free of complications. Pray for the parents in the waiting room. It's horrible to have to hand your child off to capable strangers and then just wait. Pray while the child is recovering. Pray when they get home. Keep praying for them when they come to your mind. Praise God for saving them and continue to pray for their health.
2. Feed Them: For those families who have a little time before surgery, find out when their doctor's appointments, pre-op visits are and bring them food that night. These visits are emotionally exhausting and a warm meal that the family doesn't have to expend any energy on is greatly appreciated. Arranging meals after they get home from the hospital is also crucial. You can use websites like Food Tidings to arrange meals so people from various places in their life (church, work, neighbors, etc.) can all participate.
3. Care Baskets: Small care baskets filled with easy to stash food. Cold brew instant coffee is a great idea. You don't sleep much when your child is in the heart ICU and adrenaline only goes so far. Caffeine is good. Also stashing small snacks (crackers, pre-made wrapped rice crispie treats, granola bars, cookies) are fantastic because parents can stick a few in their mouth in a corner of the hospital room where food is contraband (surely I'm not the only one who has done this) swallow and get back to their child. There were days where this was the only food Jeff or I ate. Magazines, children's books, a blank journal, pens, crayons, fun band aids, small toys or stuffed animals, face wipes are all great ideas.
4. Blood Drives: Almost every kid who has heart surgery needs blood. You can speak to the parents and see if their child might need blood. Most blood companies will credit a patient for every pint of blood donated. This will save the family mega money on medical bills. Each blood bank has different rules. Check with the local blood bank in your area.
5. Laundry: Many hospitals have laundry facilities for patients that stay longer term. However: the dilemma is, do I leave my very sick child so I can wash my clothes? Many times the answer to this is no. Offer to take their clothes, launder them and return the clothes to them that same day. You can also offer to do this is one parent is staying at home with other siblings while they have another child in the hospital. While it is humbling having someone else wash your underwear it will be a huge relief for them.
6. Money: So many people assume that these families don't need extra money because they have health insurance. WRONG! Many insurance policies cap out leaving families responsible for astronomical hospital bills. The average heart surgery and hospital stay well exceeds $1 Million dollars. Take also in to account the amount of time these families have to take off work, often without pay. Keep a family from bankruptcy. Walmart has MasterCard money cards you can load up that can be used to pay bills. Gift cards to grocery stores, Target, Walmart, Restaurants (especially close by the hospital) are also precious gifts. You can also see about setting up a benefit fund at a local bank. Writing a check outright to a family may seem like a great idea and is a wonderful gesture, but just know that it may not make it to the bank for a few weeks due to the lengthy hospitalization and the craziness that ensues after heart surgery. Therefore, it may mess with you balancing your checkbook. You've been warned. Cash stashed in a sweet card is always good!
7. Listen: When your child is diagnosed with a CHD you go through a mourning and grieving process. Sometimes all a heart parent needs is a good friend who won't judge to talk to about all of this. Someone to share with. It can be hard to talk to friends about what is going on with your child because you don't want to bother them or feel like that's all you talk about, but the fact is sometimes you just need another outside ear.
8. Spread Awareness: Just because your child doesn't have a CHD doesn't mean that you can't spread awareness. You see pink ribbons everywhere and we all know what they represent. But where are all of the red and blue ribbons? If someone saw them, would they know what they meant? Do your heart healthy kids know what a CHD is? Most women know how to do a self breast exam, but do we know what to demand from our doctors when our babies are born and at their doctor's appointments to ensure no CHD goes undetected? Do we talk to our friends about what to look for? Participate in walks, talk about your CHD friends' experiences. Visit this Etsy pages and buy jewelry and address labels. Wear red. We've got to make his known and get to talking.
I'm sure I left some ways to help out of this list. Heart parents, feel free to list more in the comments section.
It's hard to say what you need when you're so devastated that your're scared to talk for fear of bursting in to tears. Know that there are needs. Sometimes just offering something specific is the right thing to do, rather than saying "if there's anything I can do...." because that makes things easy in a time where almost nothing is.
I leave you with some pictures of Pierson and his best friend Jack spreading awareness about Congenital Heart Defects today at school. These boys were delivered 4 months apart and were very likely in a group of 100 babies delivered by our OBGYN. Pierson is the "1" in this 100, Jack is one of the other 99. So thankful for these boys and for Jack's mommy and family who have been so incredibly supportive for us through our journey.

To My CHD Son's Future Wife

Dear Pierson's Wife,

Every time I stroke that sweet little soft blonde hair and look in to those bright blue eyes I thank God for saving our son. This disease takes so many but Pierson has been saved. I know that one of the reasons his life has been spared is you. We came so close to losing your husband when he was just 3 years old. I know that God has big things planned for our son, your husband. He's only three and a half right now but he has been used by the Lord so much already. He's had to work harder to do things that many kids his age didn't have to try hard to do, but we just count those things as accomplishments and know that these experiences are shaping him in to the man that you will love.

When you rub your hand across the faded scar from his heart surgery, remember how God has already provided for you by creating and saving this man to be your husband. Be reminded that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made and that no part of these bodies He has given us are coincidental or an accident, rather precisely made to glorify God. We serve a big God who is the same today, yesterday and forever.

We have so many hopes and prayers for Pierson. Our first prayer has always been that he will fall madly and deeply in love with Jesus. We pray that he knows Jesus in this way not only so he will be saved, but so he can glorify God fully and know how to love and lead you and your children wholly.

I know that one of the reasons God saved Pierson is you. I don't know who you are, or if you've even been born yet. You may live down the street or around the world, but I've been praying for you since October 15, 2007 when we found out Pierson was on his way. We pray that God is preparing your heart for purity, passion and love. We pray that He is softening your heart for Jesus and that you will come to know Him at a young age. We pray for your parents, for their safety and health and that they may seek God's guidance in raising you.

I pray that you two will be blessed with children and I pray that they will be born healthy and always remain healthy. I pray that this isn't something you ever take for granted. I pray that you and Pierson will be able to minister to and support other couples who have sick or disabled children. I pray that this is just one of the many ways you will serve the Lord together.
I pray that every cardiology visit you go to with Pierson will remind you of how great our God is. I pray that God gives you knowledge of his heart condition so if the day comes where he needs a procedure or a surgery as an adult you will be able to fully communicate with the doctors and be an advocate for him. As much as I would love for this to be my responisibility forever I realize that when Pierson becomes an adult, and especially when he leaves our family to form his own with you, that it's something you two will take on together. His congenital heart defect won't just be his, it will also be yours. We will always be here to support you both along the way.

I pray that you will both be bold and courageous. I pray you will serve boldy, side by side. God has already used, and will continue to use Pierson's heart story for the Lord to open up doors to tell his story and of His greatness. Never be afraid to start a conversation or encourage someone who needs it.

As I write this I'm burdened that so many of our heart friends might not live to see their wedding days. Never take each other for granted. Life is so very short and every day is a gift. That's something that Pierson has taught us during his third year on earth with us. Treasure him. We're teaching him to treasure you. Never forget that God chose you two especially for each other to do life together. Things are not always going to be sunshine and roses. Remember how precious your lives are and how precious the gift of marriage is.

Be bold. Live for the Lord. Never take each other for granted. We serve a good God. A God who was big enough to make the Heavens and the Earth with his own two hands, and also took the time to create you two for each other.

Love,
Jane, Your Mother-in-Love