Home Sweet Home: Angel Words: Volume 9

JACKPOT!!!

Okay, I didn't win the lottery. In fact, I didn't even play. Cole and I don't play the lotto...we have some moral and practical objections to it. Although my cousin brought me lotto scratch off tickets as my hostess gift for Christmas, and I must say- it was thrilling! Although I didn't win. Oh well...
But with last week's jackpot at almost 700 million, it was kind of fun thinking about what I would do with all that money. I was going to share a big long list of what I would do with all that money, but I decided not to. Because it doesn't matter. I didn't win the lottery. Bummer. But...well, not really I don't think. Because you see people all the time that are given money, and they blow it. They can't handle it. You can't really appreciate something until you work for it. So while it is fun to daydream about what I would do with all that money, at the end of the day, it is, as our pastor always says, just a tool to use for the Glory of God.

This week especially, I have been thinking a lot about what "lucky" really means. It would be so very easy for me to claim that I was "unlucky" because my daughter was born with a rare neurogenetic condition that causes all of these challenges and issues. That would be really easy. But God always has a way of reminding me just how lucky- or, rather blessed- I really am. A little girl who I have been praying for for months, who is close to Ava's age and has been battling brain cancer, went to Heaven yesterday. Her parents had to let her go be with her older sister, who is also in Heaven. If ever there was a reminder of how blessed Cole and I are to have our baby here with us. There are so, so many that have to wait until they are in Heaven to hold their child. I have to wait until after nap time. Blessed.

Everything Ava does is a reminder of how blessed we are. Yesterday, during Ava's Speech Therapy, she found one of her therapy brushes (we do brushing protocol if you are familiar...) and she handed it to her therapist and held up her foot! She was making a request! Our daughter, who some said would never communicate, was telling us what she wanted! And she does things like that every day! It is amazing! Each day is a challenge, yes. But each day is also a reminder that we are so very blessed to have a daughter that is just simply amazing. Indeed, we are so very blessed!

Ava had her first haircut Saturday. More of a trim, actually. My friend/hair stylist was at my house for a baby shower for our other friend, so she agreed to try to trim Ava's bangs. She was actually pretty good, and now she can see!!!