Saturday, December 31, 2016

Please, Be Kind 2017

2016 has been hard.  Recent days have brought together a lot of harsh realities for me.  While the rest of the world was concerned with these famous people dying, my friend's kids were struggling-snuggling to breathe, struggling to have their heart function properly, struggling to live.  My sweet Angel Mom friend, Kelley, and I run the Philly Heart Angel FB group.  As I sent a recent message to a brand new Angel mom, the reality hit me-this sucks-and not in a this will ever get better way but this is the reality of ever mom or day that has ever lost a child.  You never get over the "Welcome to the worst group to ever be in in the whole wide world" kick in the face.  The Angel group though, they are the glue to my soul.  They are people that know my pain in the same way.  That means so much in this crazy world.  

It is easy to forget how fragile human life is.  For my friends suffering from congenital heart defects, pulmonary hypertension, lymes disease, MS, RA or any of the other bazillion health issues that take away the normalcy of life, I have thought of you all many times this year.  I have tried to become more educated on your diseases and to be more sympathetic of your symptoms.  I promise to be better about checking on you and your kids in 2017.  I will be annoying.  I will bring you food and text you random funny stuff and yes, that is how I show my love.  

Today, I facebooked a quote from Neil Gaiman.  "I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something."

We are doing something.  We are being proactive and have had a crazy year of messes, new friendships, and yes, we even realized that we were stronger in ways that we never knew.  

The holidays have kicked me in the stomach more times than I can count.  I have wanted to lay in bed and cry over missing Weston, over thinking about what we would be buying him for Christmas, over the thought of him being a big kid, and over Kinley pointing at his picture and saying "hey Wes".  She knows him.  She has a lot of him in her heart.  Forgetting him is one of my biggest fears. 

As most of you know, we will be gearing up for "Feed the Fire 2017" here shortly.  We celebrate Weston's Angel-versary, every year, by feeding firemen from around the world.  Sweet friends all "adopt" a fire department and take them snacks or meals.  Last year, we fed over 200 fire departments.   You can sign up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/112880475881118/ or online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4ea8a82eaa8-2017

So, tonight friends, I am so thankful for all of you for holding me together this year.  I am thankful for our friendship and laughter.  From my sweet husband who is WAY more patient than me to our wild kids to the heart moms to my Angel moms to my Philly friends to my scout families to my homeschool moms to my everyday people-I love you and wish you the best in 2017!  In the words of Weston's best friend Megan, "Let's Rock This".  

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