This is where Lulu’s little onesie hangs in Boo’s room.
This morning Boo came out and said, “Mama, do you want to hold Lulu”
And this is what I saw…
It is so hard to not have my Lulu wearing this sweet little outfit any longer, but I am so glad that the kiddos bring a smile to my face when they talk about her and continue to keep her memory alive. They help me everyday.
It looks like Lulu is praying in this sweet photo – luv it!
What prayers are you saying today? I’ve been praying for my friend Aimee this week as she has been celebrating Charlotte. I’ve also been praying for my friend, Robyn’s son, while he travels out-of-state for a job interview. And I’ve been lifting up Camp Wild kids & families & servants this week, as we gear up to head to camp next month.
I have been thankful this week for my husband, as he continually leads our family closer to Christ. What are you thankful for today?
D has prayed every night for Lulu that she be kept “safe and healthy”. He started that prayer the night we came home from the NICU and sat down with the kiddos and told them about Lulu’s diagnosis and he continues to pray that same prayer every night.
His prayer has been answered.
What a beautiful Friday it has been…
With the tiny exception of one particular house that we were going to look at has now sold. When we found out this afternoon it reminded me of my devotion this morning, so I thought I would share…
“No worries”, I like that phrase (even if I don’t practice it as often as I should), it is good for me to be reminded to turn my worrying into praising and thanking Him.
So my prayer today is for everything that involves our house…the selling of our current one & the finding of a new one.
What about you? What prayers or praise do you have today?
Guess what this guy will be looking for all summer long…
And what this little guy will be taking a break in the tent to do…
And what this wee one will be sportin’ most days…
And Boo, well…we’re just glad we live in the country…
The kids have had an amazing school year with the BEST teachers that were very supportive of our family. Dylan was on the honor roll the entire year. Owen read over 450 books. And Simon is an official member of the “100 Club”. Thank you for your continued prayers for our kiddos, they are doing so so good.
Have you ever seen this type of picture, where you can see different faces of emotion? My friend, Susan, another mother I met back in February in Nashville, talked this week about the emotions of grief and this photo is what kept coming to my mind. She said, “I have been thinking a lot about how strange grief is. You just can’t figure it out. How two polar opposite emotions can co-exist at the same time. Before our losses these emotions only existed in isolation. The way they are supposed to be experienced. Now they are all mixed together. No wonder grief is so confusing.”
I read & re-read her sentences this past week & know them to be so true. I have experienced my emotions, for example “sad” & “happy”, to be entwined like spaghetti noodles & it makes me wonder, do we carry these emotions around inside us all the time? I know I have had days before Lulu that I would be sad at one moment, but happy a few moments later, but I am talking about when I feel the sadness in my heart, but right next to it (at the exact moment) there is joy. It must be like a rainbow…the dark grey rain pouring down from the clouds & yet for there to be a rainbow you must have the bright yellow sun shining also, at the exact moment. Sometimes to think about it all is too much. A lot of days it is better to just feel the emotions that come, whether they be rain or sun or a rainbow.
We’re doing it…we are going to sell our home. We have lived here for over 10 years and about a year ago we started looking for something bigger to grow our family in. We have fell in love with a home (and it sold), we have looked (and decided against), we have done “drive-bys” (a lot of them) and we are finally ready to take the step of selling, so that we will be ready to buy when we find our new home.
So with this decision comes more change in our life. A good change. An exciting change. A scary change. And a change that will keep us moving forward.
So, I’ve had a few things I’ve wanted to write about in this post, but those things were trumped by this new post I will call “Friday Praise & Prayers”. I Chronicles 16:11 says “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
I want to share 2 different prayer requests with you today & if you have something that is weighing heavy on your heart, please feel free to leave a prayer request for us to pray for you.
Or better yet, if you are smiling ear to ear with a praise, share that with us.
It is GOOD to rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)
So my first prayer request is for a dear friend I met in Nashville, Kim has a friend who just lost their baby boy this past week. This is too fresh of a road for Kim to be on, to not only pray for her friend, but also to have so many feelings brought back to the surface of her own loss. My prayer for this family is that they will lean heavily in God’s arms & feel His presence more than anything else. My prayer for Kim, is that as she encourages & prays for this family, that her aching heart will find comfort.
My second request is for another family I have never met, but through an email today from my dad, it has found a place in my heart. This family is reaching out for prayer for their unborn baby that may have a Trisomy. My heart breaks even now as I type that word and think, just 8 short months ago, I did not even know what a “Trisomy” was. But today I want nothing more than for this family to be the one that has a miracle baby that wows the doctors.
And now for my praise of the week… only 3 days left of school left! We are ready for summer, swimming, music lessons, sleeping in (maybe), cooking out & fun.
Have a safe & sunny weekend.
This morning I am adding a page called “from the kiddos”. It will be a page that the kids can write little notes to Lulu or how they are feeling. Simon is already so excited about being able to type on the computer for Lulu. He sits at the computer and sounds out the words he wants to type and then he hunts the letters down on the keyboard as he puts the words together.
Owen asked if the letters they write will go all the way up to heaven. He makes me smile.
Don’t they ask the most amazing questions?
I am also looking forward to having a place the kids can record some of their beautiful thoughts about Lulu, a place that they can remember her, a place they can continue to love her.
Today our baby girl turns 8 months old in heaven. And we are celebrating her all day, with many memories, sweet stories and of course, bubbles. We had a very special weekend dedicating and praying over the playground at our church last night. What a perfectly beautiful night with the sun shining and the wind blowing our bubbles right across the top of the playground.
Another way I am celebrating Lulu today is with the creation of this blog. It has been in my mind for a few months and I’ve been building it for a few weeks now. There are many exciting things that I have planned to be able to share as I continue to write about our grief journey and our grief healing. One such exciting thing is our run that we will be having this coming September in memory of Lulu, to raise funds for Dayton Children’s Hospital and for the awarenss of Trisomy, more on that later…
I also wanted to share my devotion today with you, it was a wonderful way to start my morning.
“Approach each new day with desire to find Me. Before you get out of bed, I have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day. There are hidden treasures stratigically placed along the way. Some of the treasures are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles. Others are blessings that reveal My Presence: sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayer. I have not abandoned this sin-wracked world; I am still richly present in it. Search for deep treasure as you go through this day. You will find Me all along the way.” “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young
As you seek Him first, may the rest of your day be filled with overflowing blessings.
Lulu's Grace 