Rain or Shine

I would like to thank everyone who supported us, and the March of Dimes this weekend. To date we have raised $345 for the March of Dimes, in memory of Baby Todd. THANK YOU!!

The girls, Dustin & I walked the 5 miles in the rain on Sunday. Despite the rain, we had a great time together. I was very impressed with the girls and their determination to "Finish the Race".

Part way into the walk, we decided to give up on the idea of keeping the girls dry. They walked most of the way in their barefeet!

Kadenn & Kylei at the Finish Line

Another Step

We took another step in our journey today. Jerri was asked to share our experience at a "ladies tea" of twenty five ladies at The Vine church in Smithsburg Md. She doesn't consider herself a public speaker but, knows her story of Baby Brother and the many blessings from God needs to be heard. This was, as you can imagine, a very stretching step. She said "I was nervous at first but then, a peace came over me and God gave me the words to say". Once again, God was faithful and gave her the strength to do what she didn't think she could.

Tomorrow is the March of Dimes walk in Chambersburg. We will be walking 5k starting at 1:00 and raised $150 for the cause. A BIG THANKS to everyone who supported us.

Also, we are still planning to help at the Ronald McDonald House sometime in December. We are collecting toys to take with us and already have over 100 toys donated. May God be blessed through our continued journey!

Azaleas

Kylei & I picked this flower to give to Baby Todd for an easter gift. When we bought it, the Azalea had a few branches that stood taller than the others. We clipped those and tied them in a bouquet and put them on Baby Todd's grave Easter Sunday.

Today, as a family, we planted Baby Todd's azalea bush.

Easter

Signs of spring are finally visible around us. One look outside and you see new life blooming everywhere. For those of us far enough north, Easter means winter is finally over, the ground begins to thaw and settle to prepare for new growth. And don't forget the most important one, the resurrection. Where God gave of His ONLY son...for us. I was reminded of all these things even more vividly today, as we went to see Baby Brother's grave. His grave is not finished, the ground has settled and the stone hasn't been placed yet. The flowers from his service were still where we left them, untouched. But all around that, we saw brand new grass starting to grow.

My heart ached, no wait...it hurt...bad, to read 'Todd H. Martin' on the grave marker today. The selfishness in me almost began to ask God "Why?, Why me?, Why did you have to take my son?"

Then it hit me, God knew exactly how I felt, because He gave His ONLY son too...for me!

A Dream?

The trees are budding, the grass is greening, and the robins are singing. There is a refreshing, earthy smell in the air that only comes around one time of year. Its hard to believe spring is already here and upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were living in the hospital, while Baby Brother was fighting the odds.

Or was it a dream? Sometimes it feels like life has moved on so fast the last couple of months that the whole experience was a dream. Then we are reminded of the reality and the many blessings when we look at the pictures and read the many comments on the blog. It is a time I will never regret or forget. With that said the legacy of Baby Todd continues.

Jerri and I will like to update everyone with what we feel we want/need to do in memory of Baby Brother. We are going to need your continued support and prayers through the many challenges ahead.

The first thing, Jerri and I will be walking in the March of Dimes on May 3rd. We know there are many babies that can benefit from raising awareness and money for this organization (for more info click on the link on the right).

The second thing, we are planing to help at the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington, De. this coming year (maybe December). We would like to take presents for the families staying there and cook some meals for them. Its the least we can do for all the help we were given and may become a yearly tradition.

The third thing is still in the dream stage. We would like to start a foundation to support the doctors and hospitals that work with heart conditions like Baby Todd's. The doctors have learned so much from the information they got from Todd, maybe we can help with the research to save the next life. How? When? Where? These are the questions we have. The only answer we have is, we want to do everything in Jesus' name. We know without him we have no life!

The girls are doing great and we want to thank everyone for supporting and praying for us the last couple of months. Your prayers are felt more than you could ever know and I give God the credit for the everlasting joy and peace. I ask everyone to continue praying for us and writing words of encouragement. Now more than ever we need your support.

Carry you through

I realize it has been quite a while since we really blogged. Thank you for your patience and continued prayer and encouragement as we find our direction...again. For several months, we made our lives so very public and open. I felt as if I really just needed some time to "deal" in private. I never really intended to stop blogging, or taking such a long break. Every time I thought of closing the blog, I felt as if God was telling me something different. So, the story continues...

God has blessed my family so much, and in ways I've never imagined. I have learned so many lessons over the past few months; about myself, Dustin and life in general. One of which is to find the blessings even in our trials. Dustin always tells me that God never promises to remove us from trying times, but He does promise to carry us through them.

James 1:2-3

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

As the numbness slowly fades away, I am starting to realize what our "new normal" will feel like. It has become a bit slower, less comfortable, and even a bit vulnerable at times. But, as I adjust to that "new normal", I see that is where God wants us anyway. He wants us just outside our comfort zone, at a point where we are in complete brokenness and humility. Where we have no choice but to cry out for Him. So He can pick us up, dust us off and put the pieces back together, and more or less mold us into the person He wanted us to be from the beginning.

We all have that place, where we no longer have the strength to continue, where we have become so weak that the only thing moving us forward is the strength we gain from knowing Christ.

Blessings & endurance,

Jerri

March of Dimes Walk

I added a new link to the blog. Currently the picture isn't there, but the link still works.

I will be participating in the March of Dimes walk May 3, in Chambersburg. I am walking in memory of Baby Todd. My goal is to raise $200 for the March of Dimes.

If you would like to check out my personal March of Dimes page, or make a donation please click on the link on the side of the blog page.

Thanks for your support & prayer as we walk!

Jerri