Hugs!!! May God wrap His loving arms around you and hold you as you cry on His shoulder. I am praying for you, Ali, and for Phil, Zoe, and Ethan. God's plan is great, you can take that to the bank, and He will never leave us or forsake us. He is with Ethan too, and He will forever stand by his side as he grows to be a young man of God. In those moments you can not be with Ethan, please remember that no one person, even someone as tiny as Ethan, will ever be left behind by our Lord. When you can't be there withEthan, rest assured his Heavenly Father is standing guard by his bedside, sending his angels to surround him, protecting and comforting him. Though his earthly parents may not be able to be at his bedside every moment, he has one Daddy that promised him before he was ever conceived that He won't leave him. Our Father has your back, Ali. Much love from Michigan, and just as many prayers!!
Praying for you and Ethan, Phil and Zoe and your family. Thank you for sharing your experiences- even when it's raw- to share your life with us. I sure do miss you all and saying a little shout out "woop woop" with Zoe around the ship. Love and prayers for you in the days and weeks ahead. Especially at night. In the dark and stillness- and for Zoe to sleep well in peace and assurance so she can rest well.
Dear Lord, please be with this sweet mama, precious Ethan, sister and daddy as they travel through this valley with you as their guardian and light. Please send your peace and comfort. You have wept for a son and You have a plan for this one. Help us all to trust your plan and to know that you go before us all. Amen.
It is not supposed to be like this -- the cry of God's people as they try to make their way through this broken world. It is NOT supposed to be like this, and we cling to the One who is making all things new. In the meantime, we carry each other. I love you, dear niece, and I choose to believe that God can be enough – even to a confused little girl. I will pray to that end.
You have me crying at work. I thinking of you and Ethan. My youngest is the same age as your Zoe and I can't imagine him adjusting to all those changes. But I know she will, she will just have to yell for Phil or your mom.
Thank you for being willing to share this difficult journey with us---even those of us you've never met. You, your husband, your vibrant daughter and your strong son are in our thoughts and prayers daily.
You don't know me but I've been following your story through a friend Becky Kegle. My two little boys will be praying specifically for you your family and your precious baby every night this week during our family bible time. My youngest is 11 months old and though no where as serious had some health issues when born that caused us to spend some time in a children's hospital. I will never forget the feeling of gratitude to god as we got to leavè the hospital with our healthy baby yet deep sadness for the other families who wouldn't get that chance. Our prayers will be that you will walk out of that hospital with joy and thanksgiving as a whole family. We will pray gods love and peace bigger than out understanding to cover and protect your mind and thoughts so the devil can't take hold precious mama. Prayers holding you up from ontario canada.
Oh sweetie, the fear is so very normal. Better out than in, as they say. Talking and processing and sharing and praying, these are good and necessary things.
The panic and fear over our children in pain and crisis: you grow accustomed to carrying it, you learn how to cope, this i know. So many people are walking this journey with you -- take comfort in that. God and your family, and the medical staff -- what a blessing! You will never be alone in this and neither will Ethan.
When the fear rises, just breathe. Breathe and cling to God. He will hold you steady and ease you into a better place.
Still here. Still following along in this journey.
I'm thinking about you and your amazing babies. Zoe is so beautiful, Ali. I love all of the pictures you share of her. And my, my aren't our little ones growing fast?
You have so many prayers being lifted - daily there are hundreds and hundreds of prayers, I am sure, being lifted in Ethan's name.
Allow yourself, please, to relish moments of excitement (amid the anxiety) to meet this wonderful, wonderful superstar of a little guy. He's been kicking your ass (literally?) with ferocity for months and months now. Can't wait to see how he kicks ass in the outside world.
We were on the ship together years ago though we didn't really get to know each other. You are in my prayers. I thought I'd share one of the most profound devotions I've ever read with you, not my words though, from Habakkuk 1:1-17, perhaps you identify.
“We spend [today] looking at a typical treasure that can be discovered in the darkness of spiritual confusion – the treasure of a deeper dependence on God and deeper trust in Him. It has been said that when life makes no sense, when moments of confusion shred our soul, there are three paths we can take: to abandon any claim to Christian belief and search for immediate relief and happiness; to run from confusion as a woodsman would flee from a hungry bear; or to cling to God with disciplined tenacity, reminding ourselves of who He is, even though our struggle with confusion continues unabated.
In the passage before us today, Habakkuk took the third course. His story begins in great bewilderment and confusion, and the more he questions God, the more confused he becomes. Notice he does not run away from his confusion and pretend it isn’t there – he faces it, feels it, and presents some pretty tough questions to the Almighty. Notice also that Habakkuk does not become silent until after he has fully entered into and expressed his confusion. God then reveals himself to His servant in a way that leads Habbakuk to proclaim a confidence in God that no amount of confusion can shake.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all come through the darkness of confusion with such a treasure? Well, we can. I say again – be open to looking at everything that is happening to you. Don’t run too quickly from disturbing events into explanations that are more contrived than real. Contrary to popular Christian opinion, confusion is not bad. Right in the midst of it you can come to know God in a way you never knew Him before.”