My heart is full of big feelings, today. After reading the latest Indy update from @terahbelle & @hashtagbjones everything is tender & significant. I found Terah’s IG when Lydia was 3 months old—almost 3 yrs ago. If you know our story, you know that Lydia's first 2 yrs were very rough. She was on oxygen for 18 months. She had open heart surgery at 5.5 months old & due to complications w/ that had a permanent pacemaker placed... which was later recalled. Before her surgeries she was so weak she could not cry or eat; so vulnerable we never left the house w/ her. Sweet girl to this day has been in almost constant quarantine since she was born. It was hard, anything but normal, & it broke my 💛. For 6 mo my days were spent in our basement apt trying to feed my girl around the ⏰ so she could gain enough weight for surgery & not get sick, while family took care of my boys & kept their world going. It was a lonely, desperate time, & I spent hours reading, praying, & learning about real HOPEFUL life w/ T21, including from IG accounts. That is when I found the Jones fam. At the time, Indy had recently been diagnosed with leukemia. From afar I watched Indy's family fight, knew they lived in the same state as we did, & were seen at the same children's hospital. I watched videos of darling Indy shining her light. I was amazed by her capabilities & she stole my heart w/ her sweetness. I've never seen a family fight such a desperate battle w/ greater faith, grace, or love. I've never seen a human full of light like Indy. I've watched & prayed & laughed & cried w/ them for 3 yrs & during some of my own dark struggles. It gave me courage. Hardship is not a stranger to the DS community, but neither is LOVE. And this fam...they’ve taught me in a unique way 1 of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned: that life can be desperately hard & still be incredibly full of beauty, goodness, love, & light. If you follow them, you know. Beautiful angel Indy & her parents painfully inviting us into their story, teaching the world how to show up to the impossible, how to exercise faith, how to leave it all on the field, & how to love. That’s a light that lives forever. Thank you. ✨🤞🏻💛
