Happy 2nd Birthday Josie

Dear Josie Hope,

You are 2 and I cannot believe it.  The time has flown by so quickly that it scares the daylights out of me.  I know that one day soon I will wake up and you will be 6 like Kat and you will not need me to do most of the things that I am doing for you today.  The night before your birthday I rocked you to sleep and I cried. I cried knowing that never again will I have a one year old.  That never again will I celebrate a second birthday with one of my babies.  That you are and would be the last for us.  It was bitter sweet.  Truthfully, we should not have you at all. It is only be the grace and mercy of a GREAT God that I get to hold you everyday.  You, my sweet girl and a gift. A miracle.

I laugh when I think of what you are like at 2. You are a two year old.  You are everything a 2 year old should be. You are not behind, you are not delayed, you are NOTHING like they prepared us for you to be.  You are perfect, better than that you are Josie Hope and there is no one else like you.  I call you the human tornado.  You are WIDE OPEN all of the time.  You are loud and funny and have terrible temper. You are friendly and your presence makes people feel good.  You are beautiful and though you love your mama, your loyalty lies with your daddy and your uncle Brett. They are your favorites.

You love the Fresh Beat Band and Mickey Mouse. Your sisters are your world and you trust them. You talk to Big all day on the phone and Janet and Nana are two of your best buddies on the planet.  You lack nothing. You are loved, you are cherished, you are completely rotten. Some say you deserve it, most of us agree.

You had a great birthday. The Ogle family came to celebrate and we made you a cinnamon cake with pumpkin icing. You had two pieces. Mama and Daddy got you a tricycle and a guitar ;) You loved your beep beep!!  It was a great day and ended perfectly with a visit from Uncle Brett who you call Da Da.

This year, even more than last, we were very aware of the miracle that you are. Amazed that we got to keep you and even more amazed that God blessed us with your health.  Everyday with you we cherish and enjoy.  We cannot WAIT to see hat God has in store for you my sweet miracle.  Happy second birthday. We love you bigger than the whole sky.

Mama, Daddy, Kat, and Presley

Uncle Ralph

Today I got news that one of my family members is heading soon to see Jesus.  News like this always brings two completely different feelings to my heart. One is excitement for him, for those that have gone before him, for Jesus. The other is an overwhelming sadness that is accompanied by a weight that sits in the middle of my chest.  This feeling usually trumps the other for a brief period as I think of all of the people that I love that love this man.  This particular man is the last of my Nana's siblings that still graces the earth.  And grace the earth and all those that have ever had the privilege
of being in his presence is exactly what he does.   I believe in a family when the last of a generation dies like this there is a sharp sword of reality that sets in.  The realization that those stories, those memories, those moments will slowly fade away with the ones that made them and told them.  That is how I feel about this man, this precious, gentle, amazing man that is preparing to meet his Creator.  I feel he holds the memories and stories of a family that we all love more than life itself and that as he slowly makes his way to heaven he will take with him a piece of all of us.