Monday, December 12, 2011

My Story

Well, I can finally say that I have about 95% of my thank you notes done!  I definitely put the task off way too long.  I think I just had a hard time grasping the reason I was writing all of these thank you notes.  I am so thankful for such awesome and supportive family and friends.  Each and every gift, card, and donation made in honor of McKinley meant so much to Matt and I.  Now the hard part.  Coming to grips that I was writing thank you notes for gifts I received because of my daughter's passing was hard, when all I wanted in the world was to be able to write thank you notes for gifts I received for McKinley for the day I got to bring her home.  But with all of this being said, it was definitely a step forward in my healing process. 

On Saturday, Matt and I went to visit our daughter.  When we got there, we realized that they had compacted the ground where she laid preparing it for her headstone.   In the process, her temporary marker with her name and birthday on it got a little muddy.  I asked Matt to go grab a paper towel out of the car to clean it.  Well, the mud did not come off by just rubbing it with a dry paper towel.  My very first thought was to wet the paper towel with the "magical mommy spit."  It came right off!  I smiled as I did it picturing her as a toddler with spaghetti sauce on her face and having to use the same method because I forgot to pack the wet wipes!  Everyone has had their mom do this before! This was my time to get to do it.

A friend, and fellow Trisomy 13 mom, that I have "met" through blogging told me something that really stuck with me, so I hope she doesn't mind me sharing.  She said, "Everyone has their story and everyones story is different. This is my story."  This may not be what I envisioned for my life,  I have to have faith that God knows what he is doing.

I wanted to share a couple pictures.  The first one is of McKinley's shepherd's hooks (from our wedding), one with a hanging basket of pansies and the other one with her wind chime on it.  As I stated in earlier posts, this was my way of making sure she got to hear lullabies.  Matt and I also have the same wind chime (we bought 2) in our back yard.  I  now smile every time the wind blows.  The second picture is of a spinner that we have in the tree that is above her. 



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kalee,

Currently, I am reading a book called 1,000 gifts. It is about seeing the countless gifts around us. You and Matt embody the message of this book. (Don’t buy the book; I have a copy for you!)

In addition, I want you to know how amazed I am by the gift of writing that was tucked secretly inside of you! . . . seems like this is a gift that McKinley has given you!

Love you,
Mom