Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Your Questions, My Answers~ Round 2

As promised, here's your second installment of responses to your questions. These definitely took a bit more time to answer. For now, I have left comments open in hopes that the spirit of any comments would continue to be kind and encouraging.

From the first installment, there was a question in the comments asking more about the Evangelical Free church. So I thought I would include two links for you... one for our church, and one about the Evangelical Free church.

Mountain View Community Church
Evangelical Free Church


And now for the rest of your questions...

Do you plan on trying again to have more children? How many would you like to have?

This is something we have thought and prayed a lot about. And yes, we do. Before ever starting the journey of starting a family, we agreed on having two children, and then discussing a third. Because of having had a classical c-section with Isaac, I think how many children we'll end up having will have somewhat to do with how my body is healing from the surgery. I think at this point, if we can have two children at home with us, in addition to Isaac, we'd feel really great about that. But as the book of Proverbs tells us, "Many are the plans of a man's heart; but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." So we'll see. We really desire to fully surrender this area of our lives to the Lord, and day by day, are trying to do just that, trusting in His plan for us in this area.


I would like to know what the doctors are saying about the chance of having this happen again with more children?

This is a great question. Basically, we have been told that what happened with Isaac was a random, unfortunate fluke... a 1 in 10,000 fluke. We have received extensive genetic counseling, and have been told that with what is known right now, there is a 2-3% chance of recurrence, simply because it has already happened, not because of there being any sort of pattern of heredity.

We were offered some additional genetic testing on Spencer and I (called a microarray) to look at micro additions or micro deletions on our genes. We were told that if anything came up positive, which both the genetic counselor and head geneticist at Children's National Medical Center didn't think was likely, that it would raise the recurrence risk to 5-7%.

Spencer and I declined the testing. While we understand that even a 7% chance is low, particularly to other inheritable genetic things which could yield a 1 in 2 or a 1 in 4 chance. Even given a 7% chance of recurrence, we'd give this another shot. But, as you can imagine, in light of finding the 1 in 10,000 odds with Isaac, even the 2% chance of recurrence feels pretty substantial at times.

So, we decided that given the fact that the testing wouldn't move the recurrence risk into a percentage that made us uncomfortable trying again, that we would rather just let it be and put our hope and trust in what the Lord has for us.


Have you thought about adopting children?

Spencer and I have talked about this, and yes, we are open to it. There is adoption on both sides of our family-- my stepbrother, and Spencer's brother and sister. While we are open to this option, I will honestly say that our passion and hopes lie in having our own biological children. I loved being pregnant. If the Lord closes the door on us having biological children, we would absolutely look more into adoption.


How do you keep your marriage Christ-centered? Do you and your husband pray together regularly?

Before I answer this, I just want to say that I hope I haven't ever given the impression that we have this marriage thing all figured out. We don't. I do think that we have a strong marriage, and I think that through the grief of losing Isaac, God has faithfully really protected our marriage. But it is far from perfect. We obviously have been living out the whole "in good times and in bad" thing over the last year or two. But we do desire and seek to keep Christ at the center and do strive to be more Christ-like both individually, and as a couple.

So, with that, I think one of the ways that we keep our marriage Christ-centered is for both of us, individually, to be Christ-centered. When we each have Christ as the focus, are spending time in His word, and understand God's design for marriage and the roles of a man and a woman withing marriage, then we're better able to come together and function as a Christ-centered couple. It has been a journey to figure this out. Neither of us grew up in Christian homes where we had strong examples of what a Christ-centered marriage looks like.

Another thing that I think really helps us is being in community with examples of others who have and desire for their marriages to be focused on God... whether that's couples in our church who are a bit older than us who we can look to as an example and go to for wise counsel, or our small group of five Christian couples (including us) with whom we can be extremely authentic, honest, and real. We can encourage one another, hold each other accountable, and pray for one another. It's too hard to do it alone... with or without having lost a child. Every marriage has their own struggles and things that need to be worked through.

As far as Spencer and I praying together... we do. We pray together at meals, and before bed, and when specific issues arise. But, we don't spend time sitting down and praying when there doesn't seem to be something pressing, and we should. That's an area of our marriage that I believe needs some attention.

I too would really love to hear about yours and Spencer's marriage. Are you doing any type of counseling either with your church or elsewhere? I know that marriage is so hard without adding the loss of a child into the mix. I know you read a lot of books. Do you read any about keeping your marriage strong and grounded?

We have been really fortunate that God has really protected our marriage through all of this. Please don't get me wrong... we are normal people who are tired, can become impatient, who at times act out of selfishness instead of selflessness... you get the picture. But through all of this, God has just really protected us. He has allowed us to communicate well, He has given us the strength to meet one another's needs as best we can, He has enabled us to uphold each other.

Great question about counseling. We met with our pastor a few times while I was still pregnant with Isaac, mostly to talk through some questions we had been wrestling with about all of this. Last July, I started going to counseling on my own. I just sort of hit this wall, and despite the tremendous support from my family, friends, and Spencer, I just needed a place where I could totally let my guard down, talk about it all... the good, the bad, and the ugly... and just process. There's a great Christian counseling group in the town in which we live. After Isaac was born, Spencer started attending counseling with me some of the times so that we could learn and be equipped to really navigate the grief of losing a child as a couple.

As far as books are concerned, we've both read several (either together or on our own), including Covenant Marriage by Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages also by Gary Chapman, and Love that Lasts by Betsy and Gary Ricucci. I guess guys named Gary have good marriage advice? :) I am sure there have been other books but those are the three most recent. And of course, the scriptures are filled with wisdom about God's intended purposes for marriage as a visual expression of Christ's love for the church.


Also, so many times marriages seem to fall apart when a child is lost -- how did you/are you & Spencer working to keep it strong? Did you experience times when you took your anger and grief out on each other and how did you get past that?

The word that comes to mind here is grace. There have definitely been times that we have taken are anger or our grief out on each other... we're human. And so over this last year or so since we found out about Isaac's prognosis until now, I think we've both just been showing each other an added measure of grace... knowing that "it's the grief talking," so to speak, and knowing not to take things so personally or to become so easily offended. We've grown in this area a lot over the past few months, though, and taking our anger, hurt, or grief out on each other doesn't really seem to happen much anymore.

As far as keeping our marriage strong, I think I mentioned several things in my previous two responses. The one thing I do want to add is that we have been intentionally looking for ways to spend time together really enjoying life. I know that sounds like something a married couple would want to lose anyway, but it can be really hard when going through intense grief. Grief is exhausting. It takes energy to plan a day trip, or even go on one. So we have been trying to do things together that we enjoy... like out trip to Jamaica, me taking up golf, going on day trips here or there, visiting some of our favorite restaurants, etc. It would have been far too easy for us both to retreat to our own personal little "caves"and stay there... and neither of us wanted that.



Have your experiences have made you think or re-think your own personal and/or political beliefs about abortion?

I suppose this is where things could get a bit, um, dicey. And truth be known, this is the question that I wanted to take some time to really think and pray through.

My short answer to this question is no. My experience with Isaac has not at all made me re-think my personal or political stance on abortion. If anything, it has only solidified it and made me surer than ever about what I believe and my deeply-rooted pro-life convictions.

If you'd like to keep reading, here's the longer answer.

Before our experience with Isaac, I would have told you that I am pro-life. I had a deep conviction about this that was rooted in what the Bible says about life and the creation of life.

While I was pregnant, every obstetrician who provided our care at some point brought up the issue of terminating my pregnancy. I believe, in part, that this is because they may have a legal obligation to provide all the options. However, there was one doctor in particular (see my posts entitled "The Fourth" and "The Fourth, Part 2") who brought it up numerous times, despite our stance being abundantly clear.

I know that our reasons for not terminating my pregnancy have been woven throughout this blog, but just to more concisely highlight a few...

~ I believe that children, from the moment of conception, are unique, soul-ful, dignified people being created in the image of God.

~ I believe that God is the giver of life, and He is the one who takes it away.

Psalm 139:13-16 says:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

~ More specific to Isaac's situation, I know that God is bigger than medicine. While I believe that doctors are incredibly knowledgeable individuals, God is bigger. While I believe that current technologies, like sonography and fetal MRIs are fascinating and great medical advances, I believe that they don't tell the whole story... God does. In fact, we had been told that based on a fetal MRI, that Isaac "most certainly" had about a 90 degree forward curvature in his spine... it wasn't present at birth.

~ I know that miracles happen, and quite simply thought, "Why couldn't it be Isaac?" God is capable of that, and we wanted to give Isaac every chance at life.

I am sure I may have missed a few, but these were really our convictions and reasons for not terminating.

So October 7, 2008 comes, and I get to meet the most precious little boy I have ever laid eyes on... my son. My son who was deeply wanted, deeply loved, created by the God of the universe to serve a specific purpose in this world, full of dignity, value, and worth. Giving Isaac every chance of life has been worth all of the heartache, grief, physical recovery from a c-section... you name it. He was worth it. I couldn't imagine not getting to meet that sweet little guy who gave us a thumbs up on the ultrasound, and who kicked when I drank a Zazz or in response to his daddy's voice. He has changed my life. He was worth it.

You know, I got to thinking this past week about how parents spend a lifetime making sacrifices for their children; we will, too... not in the ways we would have liked for Isaac, and they look different from the sacrifices a parent makes for their child who is living. But they are sacrifices nonetheless.

So here we sit now on the other side of it all, and I am more convinced than ever about my beliefs about abortion, both personally and politically. I shared many of my personal convictions about this topic, so politically, I will say this: someone needs to be a voice for unborn children. Unborn children can't speak for themselves and don't have a voice, which is why I believe there needs to be legislative policy to protect them.

Lastly, I will say this. I can imagine that for many, the choice to abort your child must have been gut-wrenching. I have "met" a few people who have said that they didn't feel guilty at all about their choice to abort and stand by it, but for the most part, I know that for these mothers it is a gut-wrenching choice, often surrounded by feelings of guilt and/or shame. And to those mothers, I want you to know that there is forgiveness when you place that burden at the feet of the One who intimately created you, who loves you, and who desires to be known by you. Mercy and grace, forgiveness and healing are all found at the foot of the cross... in the person of Jesus.

Again, I am happy to leave comments open on this post for now. I realize that some of this may be controversial, particularly my response to the last question. But please know that these responses were written out of honesty, love, compassion, and grace, and I would appreciate it if comments left here came from the same place. And, if you have any follow up questions, feel free to leave those as well.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thank you for your honesty.
I think it would be pretty cruddy if anyone left a not so nice comment. You were asked these questions, you have given your honest answers. You are not preaching or trying to push your beliefs on anyone, nor are you critical of anyone else's beliefs.
Thank you. You and Spencer are both admirable people.

Katy said...

Thank you Stacy, for answering these questions. I can imagine that it's very hard, sharing some of your innermost thoughts and feelings with virtual strangers. I've never met you, but I pray for you guys often, and Isaac has touched my heart in a huge way. Thank you again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your responses. Your response to the last question was quite well thought-out, intelligent, and full of love. I am sure no one will want to challenge your response. You should be commended for speaking from your heart. Bless you.

Anonymous said...

Awesome Stacy. God bless you for your honesty and boldness. Will be praying for you.

Lucy and Ethel said...

I am humbled by your humble, thoughtful answers to some very difficult questions. How wonderful to hear from a woman of faith who is truly walking the walk. God bless.

Ethel

Anonymous said...

I really love how honest you are. We have some different views but I respect them and I know that different people walk different paths.

I do have a question for you though. I have slowly but surely been coming back to the church. After my son was born I feel that I witnessed a miracle and realized that I had made a huge mistake in not trusting the Lord and leaning on him during my tough times.

I will admit that I have not picked up a Bible in years. But I was Baptized, Confirmed and even though I didn't really have anything to do with God/Jesus for many years, I know now that he was always there with me. I want to buy a Bible but I know there are a lot of different versions out there. I would like one that maybe outlines and explains things a little better since I'm revisiting the Word after a long long vacation :) Any recommendations?

Lauren said...

Good going, friend. Very well answered.

You are right about someone needing to stand up for and protect our children, God's children. I have recently been reading about abortion and medical lawsuits involving parents of children that have Wolf-Hirschhorn, like Norrah. I cannot imagine not having her and not allowing her to live the life God planned for her simply because she is different.

Not to mention not having Izzy had we not had the small amount of legislation that we do have on the pro-life side that disallows late-term abortions.

Hmmm... I feel a blog post coming on. HA.

Love you and love reading about your heart.

Cynthia said...

Haven't commented in some time but wanted to let you know that I would love to know you in real life. You seem like a great person and someone who would always be there for your friends.

Like Luck and Ethle said, I am humbled by you and your honesty.

I pray that God continues to hold you in his arms.

Sonya said...

I think that you handled the abortion question very well. That is a tough question to address and you did it beautifully and I am not saying that because I agree with you, even though I do!!

Thank you for answering the questions about your marriage. Your being open and honest really helps me in looking at my own marriage. Raising a child is hard on a marriage but I cannot imagine how hard losing a child is on a marriage. Thank you for being open and honest in this post and always, that is one reason that I LOVE reading your blog.

Amanda K. said...

I have been reading your blog for a while now, and have never posted a comment. Even though I have never met you in person (although I would love to), the Lord has used you and your blog, to teach me to be a better wife and a better mother. You inspire me on a daily basis, and I want to thank you for that. I have been a foster mom for the past year and recently closed our foster home for various reasons, but we had to say goodbye to our little girl(that we were planning to adopt) that we had for 9 months (she was 18 mnths when she left) and it was the hardest thing I have ever faced in my life, seeing the van drive away with her in it and knowing that I'd never see her again, this side of Heaven. I found your blog one day, and I know that it was God who led me to it. Reading about your journey has helped me through losing our foster daughter. Thank you for your honesty and for pouring your heart out. It is my prayer that God will use you to bring more people to Him.
My question is, how did you and your husband go about finding a small group? My husband and I are praying about starting/finding one, and thought about starting w/ our Sunday School class, but there are about 10-15 couples in there. And do you use books or just get together, read the Bible and discuss?

Desiree said...

Thank you for your responses. I always love reading what you have to say.

Tammy On the Go said...

I had no idea you were EF...our chuch is www.fouroakschurch.com and we are EF as well...awesome. I was raised Independent baptist and never heard of the EF church until I met my hubby.

Lighthouse Photography said...

Very well and thoughtfully put together answers. Thank you for sharing your beliefs. I am happy that we share so many beliefs in common. Actually pretty much all of them :-)

Lynn said...

What beautiful, heartfelt, honest answers, Stacy. Your love for and desire to help others even that have chosen abortion is moving. I think especially because you so faithfully represented the heart of God in stating your beliefs. Thanks for this awesome post!

Mary said...

I too see your blog as inspiration to myself and others I have told about it. Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions asked. I have been following your blog ever since I became a member in the chatroom on "The Bump" in the Pregnancy after Loss board. You are always in my prayers.

I also think you answered the abortion question so well. That is a topic I have strong feelings about. I agree with you 100%. I really admire you for being honest and open about it. So thank you for putting that out there for others to see.

So again thank you for your inspiring words.

Mary

Christine said...

I agree with you on your view on abortion, and I personally would not abort my child because when I was pregnant I saw my baby's heart beat at six weeks gestation....however, I am pro-choice. The reason, I feel that woman should have a choice. My decision to be pro-life comes down to girls (meaning 12/13 yrs old) who have been raped by a family member and are pregnant as a result. I feel they deserve a choice. I may not necessarily agree with it, but nevertheless they deserve a choice. Just curious on thoughts in a situation such as that.

Anonymous said...

Stacy,
I don't expect you to remember me; but I have sent you a couple emails. I admire you so much. And each time I click to open your blog, I see one of the sweetest little faces I've ever seen...Isaac truly is a beautiful baby!!
I think you answered the abortion question very well. I am pro-life for myself; but politically speaking, I am pro-choice. I know that's probably weird and/or confusing but I have reasons. Anyway, not that my stance matters...
I think you did a wonderful job of posting your answers. I really wish I could think of a question...I just can't. I have only ever wondered how you keep such faith during your situation with Isaac. I can say that I would hope to do the same, but knowing myself (and knowing that God knows me even better!) I would venture to bet that I would be pretty angry with God for a while. The whole knowing he can heal someone we love, at any moment and yet, he chooses not to heal OUR loved one... I'm not sure I would be as strong; in fact, I know I wouldn't.

Good job, sweet "friend"!!
Julie B.

Evan said...

First I applaud your courage, honesty and your decisions. I have never lost a baby, but I have a 2 year old little boy and I can't imagine what you went through then or what days are like now. I thank you for placing these thoughts out there because it gives me a chance to understand what happens. I have been married for 11 years and the good and the bad come at times when you least expect it. 3 years ago my husband had a heart attack and what I didn't know at the time was that I was pregnant. God works in GREAT ways and he will help you through his plan. Keep safe and feel free to email me if you ever need another ear to listen. Greatings from the midwest:)

Lorraine said...

Again, Stacy, thank you for vulnerably sharing your heart about how your precious Isaac has impacted your life and your marriage.

May the Lord bless, keep, and carry you & Spencer :)

Lorraine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorraine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorraine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorraine said...

*Sorry for the deletes, but it wasn't saving where I corrected my grammatical errors!*

I have read pro-choice points of view and see where those views come from; but I am just offering a different view to consider:

I, too, used to wonder how I would feel about certain types of cases until I found out how extremely unlikely and rare those instances of pregnancy actually occur. God gives us free-will / choice in our lives, but that doesn't mean that all of our choices are good or right (since we are sinners). However, He is more than big enough to still use for His good what are difficult and sometimes traumatic situations in this world; and He promises to do so in His Word.

Think about Joseph. Joseph was not Egyptian. How could he have come to a positon of power & rule? His brothers sold him into slavery & told their father he was dead; well, his master was Egyptian and it was there that he began learning the language and the ways of those people. His master's wife made false accusations and he ended up in jail; and it was there that he became fluent in Egyptian & earned the respect of the warden. From there he became the Pharoah's dream interpreter and earned a high position of service & respect; and it was there that he learned the ways of Egyptian royalty. Eventually Joseph ruled over all of Egypt (second only to the Pharoah) and because of that, many lives were saved through years of famine.

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ... 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ...

50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

[Sidenote: I wonder how many lives will be saved because of Isaac Timothy Delisle's life and story?]

The enemy's attack on Joseph was devastating for years, and yet God still used it for good. God blessed not only Joseph; but many others who would have died of starvation had it not been for all that had happened to Joseph.

Whether it be an unwelcomed pregnancy, the loss of a dear loved one, a battle with cancer, or whatever is my/your trial; I do not say that struggles are easy. I do not even profess to welcome them. I, personally, have wished away the crippling thorn in my side for a few years now. However I know that God is faithful and true. I know that He is in the habit of miracles and blessings. I know that His Word is relevant to life today.

I know that the Lord has a purpose for each of us before we are born and does not abandon us, His children.

Exodus 9:16
Deuteronomy 4:31
Nehemiah 9:31
Job 36:5
Psalm 16:10, 33:11, 57:1-3 & 138:8
Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21
Jeremiah 29:11-12
Acts 2:26-28
Romans 8:28, 9:20-21
Hebrews 6:17

May the Lord bless you!

kim_brough said...

As a single woman (as single as they come, honey!) I admire and respect when married women aren't afraid to say that they don't have a perfect marriage or all the answers. I think the divorce rate is so high b/c many people think that all the work is done once they find somebody to marry when truly it is just beginning!

It was obvious your abortion answer was written out of love, so surely nobody could be offended by that, even if they disagree.

I am so thankful for you that God has protected your marriage in the tragedy of loosing Isaac. How marvelous to know that one day you will be reunited as family, in addition to other children you may have.

Your honest blogging voice is a breath of fresh air!

Holly said...

Your answers to all the questions were very good and I found nothing controversial.

Not only do we need to protect our unborn children but we also need to protect women too. Far too many clinics lie and deceive, and I unfortunately know this firsthand. Not enough is being done to keep these clinics in check.

Kristen said...

Stacy,
Thank you. Thank you for sharing Isaac with the world. Thank you for your very heartfelt, well thought out response regarding abortion. I agree with your convictions. You two are amazing parents to Isaac. My cousins little boy was diagnosed with anencephaly. Like you, she was enouraged to terminate. Like you two, they held onto there faith and continued their pregnancy, fully believing that it was God's plan and He was in control. Nathaniel lived about 1/2 an hour. He got to feel the love of his family. They, like you guys are amazing.

Your post means a lot to me. I recently had a conversation with a family member who heard of a situation similar to yours and she expressed that she just could not understand why someone would continue a pregnancy when they were told their child would not survive. I hope that someday she comes across your blog, or a blog like it. Isaac is why you would continue a pregnancy, Nathaniel is why you would continue a pregnancy. Thank you for being a voice of faith and love. You are an amazing couple. Isaac's story matters, Isaac's story will impact so many people.

Katie said...

My cousin has hab about 6 abortions (that i know of) and it sickens me to know that woman casually abort children. Thank you for your answer to the last question, it helped me to form my own opinion on abortion. You are trully an inspiration.

Anonymous said...

This is a beautiful blog and I appreciate you sharing your heart and life even though it must be terrible difficult sometimes.

I also appreciate you addressing the issue of abortion and sharing your beliefs. You and your husband were in a situation where very few could have blamed either choice that you made and your decision to believe in the miracles that God works in our lives is a much stronger testament to faith than any number of platitudes that can be thrown out there.

I would ask those considering the pro-life versus pro-choice decision to consider the larger systemic nature of what it means when formulating your responses to this extremely complicated issue. Though there are anecdotal stories we could all share, the debate isn't just about irresponsible people making life more convenient by killing babies. Many of those who choose abortion feel like they have no choice. Many of them are uneducated, too young, have no stable income - or work in industries with no benefits to suppport them taking leave of absence to have a child, do not have a stable partner or family, have been abused themselves, etc. The list goes on. We do all make our own choices and God can work miracles, but for those who don't know Him and have not heard His voice or know His love and even for those who do, what do we to help to make abortion not seem like a sometimes necessary option?

What do we need to do as a society to advocate for healthier families, better education, more affordable childcare, better sex-ed, benefits that allow parents to take sick leave with their kids and housing?

I'm sorry this was so long, but as a Christian, who also had an unplanned pregnancy and could never have aborted my baby, I also know how much of an advantage I had over many of those who do go a different route. In order to save more babies, I think we need to consider what their parents need to be saved too.

Joanne said...

You and Spencer are STILL the most amazing couple I have ever "met" Thank you for the honest answers to some very personal and important questions. May God continue to bless and keep you.

Kelly @ Sufficient Grace Ministries said...

Beautiful answers from the beautiful heart of my beautiful friend...

We actually talked about grief in marriage this week in Walking With You. I love what you said here.

Thank you for this...

Love to you...

jennifer said...

i have really enjoyed reading the questions and answers. Since I have not been through anything like this at all, i didnt even know WHAT to ask, but am so encouraged about what the Lord has shown you. I have been reading another blog recently that made me think about you the other day. She shares a lot of the same verses and books that you have mentioned. She's a friend of a friend and she lost her husband in January due to a car accident. They have a 2 year old and they had just found out she was expecting when he died. Very sad, but her words on grief might somehow comfort you through your loss too. I find comfort in reading other's coping through loss...even though ours was only losing 3 babies through miscarriage...it still helps me understand the Lord a little better.
http://sweetcarolinebaby.blogspot.com

~Kelli said...

I love the Q&A. I haven't commented in a while but I still think about you and spencer and pray for you often.

trennia said...

Just thought I would let you know you have a award on my blog.

Unknown said...

Stacy! Thank you for your comment on my blog-I'm glad to have found you. I have just spent over an hour reading your posts with tears streaming down-for your loss and my own and the love we both have for God. We have a lot of things in common! Teaching (my brother in law is a PE teacher-my husband was high school biology, I teach, my sister...on and on, NB(I achieved mine in 07 and then quit-am i crazy or what!?,) having to leave chick-fil-a like you did last year, etc...Thank you for your openness and honesty. What a hard journey grief is, but thank goodness God is there with us the whole time.

Staci said...

Your words are so beautiful as is obviously, your heart.

Thanks for sharing.

Staci

heidi said...

I praise the Lord for you! You are such a faithful witness for him even in the darkest hours!

Thank you for what you said about abortion. Beautifully stated...you spoke such truth in a loving way. We need more of this among the pro-lifers. Not said in hate towards those who feel differently, but in love that they may hear us!
God bless you & spencer!