Crowns of Life

(I finally posted about a month's worth of pictures and blogs. There are five new ones under this but I split them up so it wouldn't be so overwhelming!)

Libby started swimming lessons on Saturday mornings. She loves the pool (and has NO fear of it—yikes)! She is learning to kick, dig with her hands, blow bubbles and lie on her back and float. We’ve each taken her once and both agree she’ll need a pool pass next summer.

We've been able to see Libby and Will's cousins more in the last couple of weeks. It's been so fun for them to be together and play.

Libby has been asking for "Ya-Ya", "Ree", "Dack" and "Taya" and Will was able to meet his Uncle Hugh for the first time! We love living close to family for this reason and wish the newest cousin Dylan would move here too!This Saturday, I went with my mom to a function she helps organize called Crowns of Life. It is geared towards African-American women as a venue for cancer awareness. All the ladies wore their Sunday crowns and dressed to the nines. I loved being there and I found that wearing a crown makes one stand a little taller!

I met a lady named Etta who told me her amazing story of surviving being thrown out of the back window of a car. Three years ago, as she was flying through the air after her car was hit, she said she was talking to the Lord saying, “Lord, I know I am going Home today. But I can’t control that so I give it to you. Lord, I know when I hit the ground it’s going to hurt, but I can’t control that—it’s in your hands. And Lord, with my osteoporosis, I am going to break every bone in my body, but I that’s out of my hands, Lord.” She said (with great humor), “It was a very intimate conversation.”
It was a long road of recovery but there she was walking around a women’s function three years later at 75 years old. I said, “Thank you for sharing your story with me,” and she said, “Honey, I am obligated to tell of the good things the Lord has done for me.” No surprise, I cried. I did feel like it was a reminder to me that in the middle of trial, the Lord is still at work. So much is out of my hands but all of it IS in His.

On Sunday, we went to the Walk for Babies at the Akron Zoo which raises money for the NICU at Children’s Hospital. Libby loved the zoo, Andrew took lots of pictures, Will slept and I fought back tears the whole day. We saw so many of Will’s nurses and therapists, all who were so happy to see him. I did not prepare myself to be back in that “world” of the NICU and my emotions were those of gratitude that these women cared for my baby so well while he was with them. Ten weeks is a long time to be in the hospital!
We also met so many other families with similar stories. So many of the babies had G-tubes and big Coke-bottle glasses for their Retinopathy. So many of the babies were running around or talking about all of the animals. It was encouraging to be around people who were choosing to be filled with hope and gratitude.