Change of Dreams?

Thursday as I was getting ready for work, Mom told me that she had just gotten an e-mail telling her that Randy, our Minister of Music's two week old grandson Joshua had been diagnosed with down syndrome.  My heart broke.

Let me just stop and tell you about Randy.  He's special.  Not just in the way he lights up a room just by walking in it, or the way the sound of his laugh makes me smile, or the fact that his Louisiana accent makes me laugh when he says certain words, but he's special because I don't trust easily, nor do I welcome people into my heart as easily and quickly as I have Randy.  From our first meeting he won me over, I can only describe it as a God thing.  I adore him, and from the way he picks on me, I have a feeling he thinks I'm fairly okay as well.

So, when I heard the news about his grandson that had been born two weeks earlier while I was working in the office, my mind went back to how happy he sounded on the phone when he called into the office to share the news.  I was crushed with what he must be feeling now.  Mom wanted me to know the news before I headed to work so that when I saw him, I wouldn't joyfully exclaim, "Hey Randy!  How's that new grand baby?" leaving him to have to fill me in.  When I got to work, the other secretary filled me in on the latest and said Randy had taken an "Emergency week" off from work to be with his daughter and son-in-law.  When I asked how Randy was holding up, I was told he was "destroyed" over the news.  My heart broke for him all over again.I can imagine that this family's world caved in.  All of the dreams and hopes they had for Joshua maybe weren't shattered, but I'm sure they now have to be altered a little bit.

 Thinking about Randy and his family so much this week has me also thinking of my parents.  What was their reaction when I was born two and a half months early and they got the news that I did indeed have Cerebral Palsy? Were they "destroyed" as well? Did all the hopes and dreams they had when they found out they were having another baby girl suddenly vanish?  And, shockingly, I wondered about something I had never thought of before until it was voiced in the office: If my parents had known that I was going to be born disabled, would they have kept me?

I know down syndrome comes with its own set of challenges that I am not even remotely qualified to even pretend I know about and I know that Joshua's parents must be reeling over this news as they come to terms with what lies ahead for their son.  I also know though that God doesn't make mistakes, and I know God is going to use sweet Joshua in a mighty way.  I know Joshua's parents might have to alter some of the dreams they had for Joshua, but I pray it doesn't stop them from dreaming BIG for him (if his parents are anything like his grandpa, I don't think I have to worry) because I KNOW God has incredible plans for Joshua! As his family continues to try and make sense of this, I pray that they cling to the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 and that it brings them hope and rest.

I've Always Said He Was A Hero

I've called Patrick Dempsey one of my heroes for years! Now, someone else can say the same!

Patrick Dempsey Rushes To Save A Life!

Making the world a better place....One life at a time! Thanks, Patrick!

March of Dimes 2012- Team Kyle

It's that time of year when I raise money for a cause very near and dear to my heart....Because of a little boy that is near and dear to my heart: Kyle Sherrill. Here is an e-mail from Kelly, Kyle's Mom with a brief update on what Kyle's been up to since last years MOD walk:

"Kyle is 4 now - and he is amazing! God's healing is evident everyday. I feel like MOD snuck up on me this year! My focus has really been on therapy lately. We are starting to see some struggle in the fine motor and attention/focus areas. ...I remember being in the NICU and wondering why the doctors cared so much about these things - all I wanted was for him to live. Well... now I see why these things are so important! But we are not taking no for an answer - we are working hard everyday and everyday Kyle sees success! He is such a hard worker! and just for an update we got kyle into a school that can take him all the way to 6th grade. They believe in 2 teachers per classroom so the highest ratio will be 8 students to 1 teacher! They use the same fine motor curriculum that Kyle's OT uses and its the best out there! Also they have gross motor and motor planning toys on their play ground and best of all they will let kyle move at the pace that is best for him. We can delay kindergarten if need be and he can learn to read and write at his own pace. I am so thankful and so excited!"

Seems like March of Dimes snuck up on all of us this year. The walk is April 29th this year and with that being only about two weeks away, there's not enough time to raise a lot of money. However, if you are interested in supporting this great cause and "Team Kyle" please go HERE and purchase a t-shirt....Nine dollars of every shirt purchased will go to March of Dimes and help babies born early like Kyle and myself!

I know the majority of you don't know Kyle, (and some of you have never even met me) so you're probably wondering why you should bother buying a shirt for someone you don't know. My answer to that is simple: Every time I wear my "Team Kyle" shirts out, there's always usually at least one person that asks "Who is Kyle?" that opens the door for me to tell people Kyle's story and the incredible miracle God did in (and continues to do) in his life! If YOU were to buy a "Team Kyle" shirt, not knowing him, but knowing me, you would have TWICE the chance to tell of not only Kyle's story, but mine as well! AND...March of Dimes gets some money from it! It's a win/win situation for all!

If you choose not to buy a shirt, that is totally understandable! Many of you have supported me when I have raised money for this in years past, I greatly appreciated it and I hope you will support me in the years to come! I would ask that whether you buy a shirt or not, that you pray for Kyle as he continues therapy and as he prepares for school. Pray for his parents Kelly and John for wisdom as they make decisions for him.

Thank you all for your support of this amazing little guy and of this great cause! I appreciate it more than you know (and Kyle does too)!

New "Rookie Blue" Blog!

After giving it some thought, I decided that to be fair to the readers that come here that don't really care about "Rookie Blue" *GASP* (you don't know what you're missing!), I would create a new blog that I could devote entirely to my show and that way, I wouldn't feel guilty for babbling about it contstantly here.

If you're interested, please visit my new blog "Rookie Ramblings" and keep up with all my squealing and gushing over this show. Episode thoughts, pics, and info will be posted there as well!

I'll probably still mention it on this blog from time to time, but for the most part, my thoughts on the subject will be there.

I hope you'll visit and subscribe to that blog! More importantly, I hope you'll tune in....Thursday's at 9:00 central time on ABC begining May 24th!

Let's Recap

Let's recap this Friday, the 13th, shall we.....

*Got my computer in and out of the repair shop on the same day, FIXED and with free memory added as a bonus (Apparently it "died" while I slept last night and would not turn on this morning. One new motherboard and processor later, we're back up and running). AND the customer service was AWESOME!

* Mom is back home after almost a week spent in Dallas (Grandma is in a rehab facility right now and is on the mend...Thanks for praying).

* A great dinner out with the family.

* It's my dear friend Meghan's birthday today....Happy birthday, Meg! Love ya girl!

Not sure what kind of luck YOU saw today, but all I saw were the Fingerprints of God! Humbled and grateful!

Prayers and Praises

Prayers:

My Grandma is in the hospital. She fell around Valentine's Day and a cut she sustained on her knee during the fall became infected. She was given antibiotics and the infection cleared up. However, once she finished the antibiotics a few days ago, the infection returned. Mom went up there and took her to the doctor this morning and it was decided she needed to be admitted to the hospital. They are planning on doing a MRI tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Please pray that the doctors are able to treat her and get rid of this infection for good.

Praises:

A few weeks ago I got a text from one of my closest friends, Julie. I've mentioned her on this blog a couple of times. She wanted to let me know that she and her husband are expecting their first baby in October! I'm thrilled!

This morning, I got another text from one of my "big brothers" Dennis, whom I've also talked about on here, telling me that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl in late August or early September!

I'm so thrilled for all of these people that mean so much to me! And what meant even more is that THEY contacted ME! I can't tell you how much that means to me! Please keep Julie and Jim, and Dennis and Leslie in your prayers as well!

Thanks so much for praying with me!

Fear Not....

This truth changes EVERYTHING!

Happy Easter, everyone!