My Miracles

I feel like I haven't written in a long time...I guess I haven't. we have been so busy during this season, that I haven't had a chance to just sit and blog. I have wanted to write about the subject of miracles for a very long time now. I feel so blessed in my life that I have been given so many miracles. I wanted to share them with all of you:

My husband. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to marry the man of my dreams, the man God made for me. I found that in Tommy. He is wonderfully perfect for me and he makes me smile each time I look at him or even think about him. He is my husband, the father of my children, and my best friend. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I share everything with this man and he knows me better than anyone. He knows what to say and when to say it. He is the miracle who I prayed for all of my life.

My children. These are the miracles who have made me who I am: a Mommy. I may not be perfect at my job, but they give me enough kisses and hugs to reassure me that I must be doing something right. They are the most amazing little people and God has blessed me abundantly with them. Emily is my confident, helpful, beautiful little girl who has given me the gift of pride. Matthew is my talkative, boisterous, handsome little man who has given me the gift of patience (if you know Bubba, you should be laughing right now). Luke is my strong, courageous, gorgeous little boy who has given me the gift of a stronger faith. James is my active, sweet, adorable baby boy who has given me the gift of hope. How lucky am I to have been given such gifts? God must truly love me!

My family. OK, so some people may say that I am too close to my family. But I disagree. How can you be too close to family? Family is what helps to form the person that you are. Without my family, I may not be the Bernie that I am today. My family has taught me faith, love, strength, perseverance, the list goes on and on. My parents did an amazing job raising five children. They are examples to others and I appreciate the fact that they didn't decide to stop at 4 kids! I can never thank my parents, my brother, and my three sisters enough for being there for us during the past nine months. I know they will never know how much they have helped us during these difficult months. I also want to make sure to include my extended family in this category. My grandmother, grandfather, and aunts and uncles have been amazing through all of this. Luke had so many great aunts and great uncles come to the funeral! He is like a little rock star in our family--I know that no one who knew him (whether in person or via the computer) will ever forget the impact that he made on their lives. When James arrives, he will get to meet many of his great aunts and uncles, also. They are all so eager to come, meet James, and help out and we welcome them with open arms!

Tommy's Family. Just as I cannot imagine who I would be without my family, I cannot imagine who Tommy would be without his family. Tommy was a "surprise" baby and his parents raised him with such strength and faith. I know I have said it many times, but I cannot imagine getting through this year without my husband's faith and strength. Thank you to Nana and Pop Pop for raising such an amazing man. He wouldn't be who he is without you and his brothers.

All of our medical staff. Doctors are amazing people. They go to school forever and then spend their lives caring for others. They don't always get to take time off for holidays and they make their patients their priority. Had it not been for the doctors, we wouldn't have had the 5 1/2 weeks with Luke that we were blessed with. If not for the doctors here, we would not be able to expect a lifetime with our James. What a miracle! I also want to mention all of the nurses and other medical staff who we have come in contact with and who we have yet to meet. These people are absolutely selfless and wonderful. They care for my babies like they are their own. I can never thank them enough.

Friends. All of you have been a constant miracle in my life, even before Luke was born. I have always been able to count on my friends for everything. But especially now, after everything that we have been through, you have been extraordinary. For the first time in my life, I can say that I have friends who I have never even met. How miraculous is that? There are people out there who I never knew before Luke's birth who I can honestly call friends. WOW! God has really helped me out, hasn't He? He knew that I would need you and His call was answered by you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

One group of friends I have made since we began this journey are other heart moms. One of these moms, Shannon (mom to Carlie--her blog is on the right), has created a video montage to help raise awareness of congenital heart defects. Shannon asked for pictures of heart babies, both angels and living. Luke is included in this video and it is very moving. Please take the time to watch this video, it really points out how devastating heart defects can be. I know that Shannon reads the blog, so please feel free to leave any comments at the bottom of this post for her to read. I am sure she would love to read them! We really appreciate your taking the time to watch her presentation--it means A LOT to us! Here is the video:



Luke's birthday was this past Friday. He would be 9 months old right now. I can't believe that! I can't believe that 9 months ago, we welcomed a very brave little boy into our lives. One who I truly believe knew in his little broken heart that he would only be with us for a short time. I believe that Luke was sent as a gift from God for all of us. He lived so strongly and so happily for the 5 1/2 weeks that he was with us. Our angel's life gave us the gift of James and for that, we are so thankful to him and to God. We are blessed.

Just a quick prayer request...on Tuesday, we are meeting with the surgeon who will perform James' surgery (ies). Dr. Langham is the surgeon and we have read and heard great things about him. He is very qualified and we look forward to learning more about the procedure(s) and what to expect. We will write this week to let you know what we hear from him. Please say a prayer that our meeting goes smoothly and that Dr. Langham is able to answer all of our questions (there are a lot:) ). Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and for our children. God bless you all!!!!