Our Precious Gifts

It is a curious thing how children change you. People tell you that - they smile sweetly and say, "you'll never be the same." And until you have kids, your inner monologue says back "yes, I know, they change you, they are amazing, we will never be the same, yada yada yada." Well, cliche as it may be, it is absolutely true. From the moment your little one is thrust upon your belly, sticky and screaming, you are in love. Then you bring your sweet miracle home, and your happiness grows exponentially. And while this bundle of joy is making you sleep deprived, neurotic, slightly larger, more patient and more self-less than you ever thought you could be, it makes you humble. If you think you are in awe now, of the sweet miracle of life, just you wait. Wait until you are rocking your soft, warm, little one and he is playing with your hair and looks up at you and kisses you for no reason. Or you come in from being gone and he runs to you blissfully happy to be seen by you, and uninterested in all of your faults and short-comings. It is a daily reminder of the kind of unconditional love that we are all blessed with.


We learned yesterday that an acquaintance of Billy's lost their sweet 3 year old little girl. She drowned in a pool, and after two long days, her parents were faced with the unthinkable - they were forced to let her go. The thought of seeing either one of our boys in an ICU, ventilated, taped up and clinging to life, almost physically sickens me. And the gut wrenching pain that the family must have felt making that hideous decision is unimaginable. It is a stark reminder of truly how precious children our, and how transient life can be.

So, to all you parents out there, give your little ones (and big ones) an extra hug and kiss today or tell them how special they are to you, and this time when I get down on my knees to thank God for my two precious gifts, it will take me a little longer to get up.