Dig Deep

Can we dig deep for a minute?? ....... I have been totally entranced with this story - every bit of the story!! I am in LOVE with her - in fact I want to whisper Happy Bird-day in her ear - every day for the rest of her life. I have been praying for her family, her, her kids, her husband....every day...do you think that God has passed along my whispers to them?

This story has made me think, it has made me cry and it has made me look at moments in my life and wonder....what if? It has also made me want to "BE" better in my every day life!

If something happened to me or my husband, who would take care of my children. Not just put a roof over their head or food in their bellies, but who would fill their souls with the love and nurturing that they need?

I have no sisters, only a brother - and we don't seem to be able to spend too much time together without there being a difference of opinions, plus he is 13 years younger than me and doesn't have his life together enough to take on 4 little peoples lives! I want a sister like her....I have actually always wanted a sister like her! I would even take a neighbor like her! I want friends like these. When this sleeping beauty wakes up she is going to be blown away by the amount of people who seriously LOVE for her and her family! I wonder if she will be able to take it all in?

If something happened to me, who would be there to take care of my husband and kids. Not just physically, but emotionally? Would anyone rally for them and help with the school, life and medical bills?? I really don't have that many "girlfriends", would anyone step in and coordinate this. Last year our son went through a pretty serious medical ordeal and we were out of state for 11 days and no one even made a single dinner for my husband! Our church is pretty small and quite frankly - there are not that many young families there!

How exceptional it is to read of her love for her husband, her strength and pride. I love that she is so open about her love of her husband. I wish I could be more like that. I wish that tomorrow we could start our marriage over again and not let every day "life" jade us of our love for one another. Because lets face it, most of us let the bills, the laundry and the sleep deprivation take over and tarnish the sparkle that used to be in our eye when we looked at our loved one - dare I say our Lover!

There are so many ways that this story has effected me, it has made me remember how precious every day is. Even on days where being a Mom really STINKS! We all have them - even when we pretend that life is perfect - those moments where the baby won't get in the car seat, the dog is in heat, the older kids miss the bus and give YOU an attitude about it, the husband wants dinner and you forgot to take plan something!! You know, one of those days.....just remember how lucky we are to have beautiful, strong willed children and a husband who cares enough to come home to us!

To remember to love deeply, and love honestly. Even ourselves....I love that she was so candid about taking pictures of herself (no pun intended). I love that her children can still see her beautiful face looking back at them even though she isn't there with them. This story has made me put myself back into "the" story of my kids life - how many pictures do you have of yourself or of you and your kids together - right now??

Most importantly, I think about how important it is to be honest to ourselves. If we want to be a something that is different that what other people "think" we should be - remember to be honest to ourselves. Be the parent we want to be, the wife we want to be, and the person that we want to be. Be open about our religion, our beliefs - whatever it is - just be honest to ourselves!

I have never met this beautiful creature, but I will hold a piece of her in my heart everyday, even when the hype is over and everyone is going back to their every day lives. I will remember her.