Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of my blogger friends who are mothers had a wonderful day today!

My day began with lots of little boy snuggles and ended just the same... That alone would have been enough! But there was also a big construction paper card with a yellow pained hand print and a refrigerator magnet made out of clay. Reni and Loretta also made me a card with a photo of Ethan on the outside. When I opened the card, there was a photo of Ellie with the absolute sweetest expression on her face. Ethan promptly stole the card from me and placed it on the table in front of his plate, open so that he could see Ellie. The longer he gazed at it, the sadder he got. He said "I miss Daddy and Ellie, but I miss Ellie more because I'm going to get to see Daddy sooner. It's going to take a long time until I can see Ellie again. I just wish I could go to Heaven now! How come I don't get to die for a long time?" Poor little guy. His eyes got all red rimmed but he would not let any tears out. We eventually went for a walk in the beautiful springtime air, and all of our moods lifted considerably! I was able to get away for a few minutes to visit Ellie's stone. I sat down and traced the words with my finger and thanked God for the precious nine years that he gave me with that amazing girl. I was struck by the irony that on this day that honors mothers, I am the fortunate one to have been touched by her... much more so than the other way around.

I also enjoyed a nice long talk with my mom on the phone today. I am very happy that I will be able to actually get to see her and my mother-in-law next year on this holiday! That will be wonderful. It's always hard to be so far away from family, but the special days are the most difficult of all!

So that was my day. I hope you all had a good day, and that those of you who were missing your mothers, or children, were able to feel the peace of God surrounding you in a very real way. Please continue to pray for the parents who have lost little ones recently. Two more sweet children died this week from NB - a little boy named Jack that we knew in NY, and a little girl named Esther whose mom I've talked with on the phone a few times. These families are embarking on the most painful journey of their lives...