HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, SWEET SAMARA!

As we close the day of Samara’s first birthday, I think about the many ways we could focus our attentions.  I choose to be thankful that God allowed us to have her for 206 days.  We were told in late December 2010, that I would not likely carry her to my next doctor’s appointment (2 weeks later.)  Not only, did I carry her those two weeks, I carried her another 4 months.  I cannot say those months, nor the 206 days that followed were easy by any means.  I can say that it was worth every appointment, every struggle, every day spent at the hospital to get to know my little Samara!  She was so spunky, such a fighter!  I praise God that we had the chance to meet her.  I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

We, of course, wish she had lived, but that wasn’t the plan that God had.  We could do all the “Why” questions until we were angry & bitter, but “Why” do that to ourselves.  God had a plan for her and she could not have left this world without completing that plan.  We miss her greatly, but as Alex says in the song….”Jesus, we trust in you.”  That is how we have made it through this whole ordeal.  Trusting that God is in control.  No matter what we go through, we TRUST.

Thank you all for remembering her with us today.  Thank you to everyone that is helping collect items for the family gift bags and for the Ronald McDonald House.  I look forward to taking them up there next week!

3 comments April 25, 2012

“Sister of Mine (Tonight)” song

Alex wanted to publish the song that he wrote and performed for Samara’s funeral today in honor of her birthday.

He wanted everyone to listen and remember our wonderful little Samara today!

WARNING…… GRAB TISSUES!!!!!!

(And I wouldn’t listen at work, either!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmMbzm0Boe4&feature=youtu.be

1 comment April 25, 2012

Approaching 1st Birthday…..

I know I have been silent for the last several months.  I have had so many people tell me that I needed to continue with my blog.  There is so much I have thought about posting as we have had to work through our grieving process and learning to live with the hole that was left in our lives.  To answer the ultimate question that everyone seems to have…. We are all in a healthy place in our grieving.  We are doing well.  We are enjoying having our family back together.  There has been so much to catch up on in every way after having been at Vanderbilt for almost 7 months, then the holidays were right after Samara’s funeral.  It was a lot to deal with as you can imagine if you were gone from your house for 7 months.  What would your house, bills, and work look like?  I had teenagers running things for the most part of that time.  They did amazing, considering, but things were very neglected.  Work…. it has been a crazy up hill climb to catch all that up.  Those things aside, we are good.

This certainly doesn’t mean we have “moved on” but we have learned to live with our hole.  Samara will remain a part of us forever.  That is what brings me to post this blog.  We are approaching what would be her first birthday.  We want to honor this day by making a donation to Ronald McDonald House of Nashville and giving out gift bags to the families of heart patients at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.  Anyone wanting to join us in remembering this special day can donate by sending items or checks to the address below.  We will be creating about 20 bags.  Items that we would like to include are: beanie babies, receiving blankets (no blue or purple), baby lotion, travel size sewing kits, adult sleep masks,  reusable coffee cups or drinking cups with lids, blankets for parents, journals, gift cards to Taco Bell, Subway, Dominos Pizza, or any gas cards.  If you have any further ideas, I welcome suggestions.  We will be collecting through May 1st.  I was a bit late getting this posted, so I am giving through the end of the month.  If you need more details, post a comment and I will get you my contact information.  You can also send checks payable to “Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville” or if you want your gift to go toward providing the gift bags for the families at Vanderbilt, make checks payable to Gateway Church.  We will probably do this at least twice a year for the families there.  If you want to be involved with more of this in the future, just let me know.

Mail donations to 211 Maxwell Chapel Road, Unionville, TN 37180

I want to thank everyone who supported us through the most difficult time in our lives. The support was unfathomable. We could have never in our wildest dreams expected the support that we received from our community, many of whom never really knew us.  Without the support of our family, friends, and community, we could not be where we are today.  God used so many people to get our family through this past year.  It still shocks us when complete strangers tell us they were following the blog.  It really makes me feel so completely humbled by how many cared so much for our little girl.  I just want to thank you all.  I know this is very delayed, but very heartfelt!  Thank you so much!

And thank you for helping us remember her special day  this year!  God Bless!

This picture was taken in June when she was home for the first time, showing her without all the wires, just her feeding tube.

2 comments April 18, 2012