Random Recent Pictures

For the sake of documentation and because I know you all are dying to know what the kids have been up to in the past month, I thought I could at least post some pictures. The explanations will be very brief, but hey, most of you just want to see the pictures anyway, right? Enjoy!

Eli & Maddie with Uncle David. We got to have lunch with him as he passed through Denver for business. Eli talked his ear off from the moment he entered the car until the time we dropped him off for his meeting.

With her red hair and fair skin, we have to keep Maddie protected from the sun. Do you like her hat?!

John took part in the "Running of the Green" downtown and the rest of us got to cheer him on! He beat his projected time and we are so proud of him! Way to go, daddy!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This was our attempt at outfits with green in them. Check out the way they're "holding hands."

Not the greatest picture, but we had to at least document the fact that we made it back out to the train museum. Eli & Maddie had lots of fun getting in and out of all the trains and especially the chance to ring the bells and blow the whistles!

That's enough randomness for now...stay tuned for some snow pictures from the March blizzard.

Love and Loss

I am having such a hard time finding words to describe what it was like to be a part of Reagan’s life and death on this earth. Being a part of it all was exhausting and rewarding at the same time. Definitely an experience that I will cherish, both for the opportunity to meet my little niece and also to be there with my sister and her husband as they are walking this incredible journey that God has called them to take.

Unfortunately, I don’t have access right now to the amazing pictures that Molly Grace took during those 24 hours that Reagan was with us. However, if you click on the “Pray for Reagan” button on my sidebar, you can see Reagan’s blog and if you scroll through some older posts, you will see some of the many pictures that she took. I will share the few pictures that I took just to give you a glimpse, in case you haven’t seen her. I love the poem that Marceline chose to include in the program for Reagan’s service.

Love at First Sight
Before you were conceived
I wanted you
Before you were born
I loved you
Before you were here an hour
I would die for you
This is the miracle of life.
Maureen Hawkins

What a testament to the sanctity of life. It is so true. I don’t know about you, but in our family, Reagan Joy captured our hearts before she was even born. And, in Mar & Dan’s words, they would go through all of it again just to have more time with her.

Another lesson that I have learned is how helpful it is NOT to have all the answers sometimes. I think that, so many times, I just want to fix things for other people so that they don’t have to suffer or feel bad or whatever. But, you know what, there is a time to grieve and I can’t and don’t need to “fix” that. Even in the Bible, we see that there is grieving. We don’t grieve as others do, but we grieve with hope, hope for the future.

Sweet little Reagan Joy, I love you and miss you. I will not forget about you, but will always hold you close to my heart. I am so glad that Jesus can rock you in His tender care, but look forward to the day when I can hold you again too.

Love always, Aunt Karen