I love my kids! They seriously are my life! I just can't get enough of them (even though I am very happy when bedtime rolls around). They just make me smile - even when I tried to take a cute picture of all 6 of them on Valentine's Day and it didn't work, at least not very well (as you can see in the pictures above)! And yesterday, I was even more grateful for each of them. Yesterday was a really hard day. A really good friend of mine buried her sweet little baby girl yesterday - her sweet little girl that lived for 3 hours and 16 minutes. Our friends found out at their 20 week appointment that their baby did not have any kidneys and that IF it made it through the pregnancy and IF it made it through delivery that it (they couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl until it was born - not enough fluid) would live less than an hour. So they have known for 14 weeks that if their baby lived at all, it would not be for long. They are such an amazing family and they have such a wonderful outlook on all that they have been through. They are just so grateful that they got their sweet little girl for 3 hours and 16 minutes and that they got to hold her and spend some time with her and that their other 4 children got to meet and hold their little sister.
At the funeral, both of the parents (Jeff & Amy) spoke and once again amazed me and taught me so much. One thing that Jeff spoke about has really been on my mind (sorry I don't usually go off like this but I can't get it off my mind) - it was to "Show Up". He talked about how so many people came up to him and said they didn't know what to say to him and how that was enough. You don't have to have some fabulous thing to say - you just need to "Show Up". You just have to "Show Up" and show your support and try to be there for others. I really hope that I can do that. That I can "Show Up" for others, even when I don't know what to say or do. And I hope I can "Show Up" for my family. And I hope that I can "Show Up" for my friends that are going through such a difficult time right now.
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6 comments:
I love the pics of the kids on the couch, just priceless! And hello Kesley, you have so much hair! The twins look huge! I'm glad I get to see them soon! hee hee. I love what you talked about at the end, you are amazing Michelle and you will never know how much you mean to mean and how much you have helped me through my trial!
Thank you for sharing. "Show Up" is so important. My heart is breaking for your friends. However I know the Lord will be with them and their family.
Awesome post, Michelle. Great pics and love for your family. Equally as important...the lesson about "showing up." Something I'll remember and pass along to others.
Jeff & Amy will be in my prayers, along with ALL of their children. Thanks for sharing.
The Allen's are amazing people and their strength is an example to us all. It is so true about "showing up" I try to pray for that all the time. You do "show up" for many, many people. The Lord knows your heart:)
I am so glad you posted this! This is something I work on a little more every day. I wanna be that friend. You sacrifice so much to accomplish what you do. You balance so well. Your kids know you love them, your friends know you do too (but they also know your kids come first...which is a hard balance and so admirable)-
Thanks for your example, thanks for sharing those thoughts. It gives me a lot to think about!
Dani
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