When we were in the hospital for Lydie’s surgery, a sweet friend (you know who you are 💗) sent me a gift card. I put a lot of thought into how to use that gift that arrived during one of the hardest times of our lives, and I bought... an analog watch. I have a digital watch—it counts my steps and monitors my heart rate and delivers texts immediately to my wrist... But I wanted an analog watch to remind me to disconnect. To remind me, more than anything, that time is fleeting and precious. That time is SHORT and you never know what tomorrow will bring. I wanted to remember forever the lessons of the hospital that fell so heavily on our shoulders; when your baby relies on a machine to help her breathe and another permanent one to help her heart beat, you realize really quickly how finite our lives are. That you can never know how many moments you have. I realized that when I sit and hold my babies, I need to really soak them in. That when I spend time with people I love, I need to be really present. It’s so easy to forget. It’s so easy to get distracted and take it all for granted—it happens to me all the time. I love having a tangible object to remind me. I am so grateful for the gift of now, and, through Christ, the gift of forever.
*** Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect. 25% of babies born with critical CHDs will require life-saving surgery during their first year of life. 75% of babies born with critical CHDs make it to their first birthday—which means that 1 in 4 do not. Lydia’s birthday is this month. ❤️ We love and pray for the many, many families whose precious babies fight a daily battle, and for those whose valiant warriors return Home too soon. #chdawareness#misslydiefaith #heartwarrior #theluckyfew#paperheartproject
