It is amazing how time can heal. It feels like forever ago that we were in the hospital with Stephen and at times it feels like it was all just a dream. Our daily life isn't much different than it was before his birth minus the fact that I don't get out much and have nurses stopping by twice a week. Yesterday we spent the whole day playing. Joe had the day off and we made the most of it! We made smoothies and popsicles, swam in the pool and set up a backyard campsite with s'mores and all. The kiddos attempted to sleep out there with Joe but only Michael lasted. Life is good and relatively normal. Stephen looks amazing and acts exactly like our other 3 children did...even better. He hardly fusses, is easy to console and loves to smile. But no matter how much time goes by the emotions and feelings can come flooding back in an instant. I decided to make video/slideshow of pictures to the song "All of Me". It was something I had planned on doing a while ago but just found some time to start. It has proven much more difficult than I thought. I watched it once and cried my eyes out. Then began the editing. I had to crop pictures, change time frames, etc. In order to make it look good you have to watch it over and over and over. That night I hardly slept. The words to the song and the images became so fresh again and I found myself once again sobbing in Joe's arms and again asking why? Why Stephen? Why us? Why not something difficult but curable? It crushes me to look at him and know that his heart can't be fixed and that one day we will have to explain this to him and that he will know how "fragile" his life is. I know that is far in the future and that God will give us the grace we need when we get there but I want him to know how very precious he is and how his life has made such a difference to our family and many others.
And that is why we need your help. SO many of you have shared with us how his story has touched your lives and it would mean the world to us if you could write it in a letter to Stephen so that one day when the time is right Joe and I can give them to him to be encouraged and uplifted. We have heard it being used as a witnessing tool, a reminder of the power of prayer and the strength of God. To some it has brought them closer to God or enabled them to have conversations with family, friends and co-workers that otherwise wouldn't have happened. His heart has encouraged and inspired people and I am sure it would mean so much more coming from you directly then mom and dad trying to tell him stories. It would be something tangible that he can hold and read and look back on when he one day asks "why?". I know how much your words have encouraged our family and I pray that they would one day do the same for him. It doesn't have to be long but a simple message that I pray will make a difference in his life one day.
I don't want to put our address on the blog but if you would like to take a part in this please email me and I will message it back to you. kdrussell04@aol.com
Thank you for taking the time to do this we pray your words will touch his heart as they have often touched ours.
PS. I will post the video as soon as I finish it...whenever that may be
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