It's been a tough day...

Hi all,

It's been a sad few days around here...we got some terrible news on Saturday night, and we're still trying to process it all, so I thought it would be good for me to share.

Back in December, my sister Andrea and her boyfriend Jamie did an amazing thing by becoming guardians for Jamie's 2 nieces and 1 nephew. There is 10-year old Makayla, 6 year old Matthew and 4 year old Haylee. These kids haven't had an easy life up to this point, but I think they were well on their way to it. Anyone who has ever met my sister knows how much she loves kids...hands down that is evident upon talking to her. And they brought them into their house as if they were their own. Mind you, it's not easy for Jamie and Andrea to try to raise 5 kids (t.here is also my niece, Taylor, and my nephew, JT) in the house, but they were making a go of it. And all of this was happening right before Christmas, but Andrea and Jamie made sure that those kids knew that they were loved, and a part of the family now. They even came to my Aunt's house for Christmas. Sweet kids, they all are. Shy, but that was totally expected, but clearly adjusting well to their new home.

I remember how excited he was at Christmas for his new shoes. They were ALL excited about this...put them on first thing in the morning as soon as they got out of bed. They even tried to sleep with them! But Andrea and Jamie managed to convince them that the shoes would still be there the next day. I remember Joacim telling me that he was having a conversation with Matthew up in his room over Christmas (Matthew was sharing a room with my nephew), and he kept talking about how he wanted to keep his room clean and that JT never helped him. Didn't seem to matter too much to Matthew though...God he's such a sweet, sweet boy.

So, on Saturday night, when the phone rang at 10:30pm, I had that feeling that it wasn't a good call...you know the feeling...and unfortunately I was right. It was Andrea calling to tell us that Matthew had nearly drowned, and was life-lined to Methodist hospital in critical condition.

Here's a link to the newsstory....

Wow, that hits you hard. I mean, I think anyone with a pulse would be affected by it, but I seemed to feel it so much more now that I'm a parent. All these thoughts were racing through my head...couldn't make sense of most of them.

We just got back from visiting Matthew. It's indescribably difficult to see him in that bed, hooked up to all of those machines. He looks so small and fragile laying there...I was almost afraid to touch him. I gave him a kiss on his forehead and whispered to him that I'm praying he gets better. Amazing condition of the human spirit, I guess. Even though the pronosis isn't good, you always want to believe in miracles. But miracles happen every day, so I'm asking for anyone that reads this to pray for one, because he and his family need it.

I haven't had a chance to get to know him very well, and I think I'll always feel a little cheated for that. Time goes by too fast, and you always think that there's a tomorrow. I'm sure Andrea thought the same thing on that fateful day. We had actually spent the afternoon together here at my house. I was helping her study for her Medical Terminology course, and when she left, she was going to go home and figure out what to have for dinner. Rather mundane tasks, but what she wouldn't give right now to be able to have that be the most pressing matter on her mind.

My sister is truly amazing. I don't know how she's keeping it together. She loves him as if he is her own.

The photo on the right is one I had taken over Christmas of Matthew and I wanted to share it with you all...God Bless...little man...

I'm sure I'll have more rambling thoughts, but that's all I can get out sensibly right now. Just please, anyone that has kids or loved ones nearby..hug them a little extra longer tonight..tell 'em you love 'em...

Thanks for listening...