Dear Jordy-Bug,
Here it is, three days before your
5th birthday. What a surreal place to be. Five is a milestone and such an
exciting time for kiddos because it means kindergarten in the fall. Well, for
most people it does. For us, it probably means avoiding Facebook "First
day of Kindergarten!" posts and elementary schools in general. You're not
going to kindergarten. You're not getting your graduation picture taken in
preschool this year or walking in a ceremony with a construction paper diploma
tied in a neat little bow. This fall we're not walking you to your classroom to
meet your new teacher or unpack your new purple backpack stuffed with freshly
purchased supplies in the cubby labeled "Jordyn." No backpack. No
supplies. No cubby. NO. KINDERGARTEN.
For the most part, I think we do a
pretty good job of avoiding the wallowing that comes with losing a child, but
sometimes...sometimes it's too much.
Kindergarten is too much.
When the weight of losing you gets
this heavy, I think about a line from the pilot of a TV show we watch called This
Is Us. An elderly doctor counsels a newly bereaved young father and says,
"I like to think that one day you'll be an old man like me talkin' a young
man's ear off explainin' to him how you took the sourest lemon that life has to
offer and turned it into something resembling lemonade." And I remember
that I want to be the one making sweet lemonade, not licking my wounds that are
drenched in the stinging, acidic juice of the lemons.
An additional step that Mommy and
her friends Elizabeth, Jane, and Erica are taking involves teaming up with a ministry
from Kansas City to provide another avenue of encouragement and hope to women
in similar situations. The nonprofit group is called Lullaby of Hope.
Its mission is very similar to that of Missing Pieces, but it
accomplishes it through a tangible gift box for each struggling mom that is
tailored to her specific situation and needs. There is a Hope Gift Box
for women journeying
through infertility, a Peace Gift Box
for pregnancy loss, and a Butterfly Gift Box for pregnancy loss. Each box contains an uplifting book, a key
chain for the Daddy, a bracelet for the Mommy, some treats, and a handwritten
note from me or one of the other women in the ministry letting the recipient
know that she is loved, she is going to survive this pain, and she is not
alone. Each box is completely free of cost to the recipient and the
person requesting it, but it costs us $25 to create and ship. LOH relies on
fundraising to cover our expenses. So, here is my plea for your birthday, sweet
girl...
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Please
help us make lemonade this March and donate $5 (or more) HERE. Also, if you know of
anyone in need of such a gift box, please feel free to request a box using the
links provided above.
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These are our birthday gifts to
you, Jordyn. Pray that family and friends are willing and able to help. You
deserve it...and so do the parents who are about to journey through the most
gut wrenching time of their lives.
Have the happiest birthday yet, big
5-year-old! We love you!
