A Different Boat

Since becoming a Christian, rainbows gained new meaning for me.  Instead of simply a beautiful part of nature or a marvel of science, they are also a reminder of God's promises to us.  They are a reassurance that our God is not only all-powerful and just, but also kind and full of love.  They are a reminder that amidst the rain, the sun still shines. Since becoming Wesley's mom, tulips now have a similar meaning for me.  Instead of simply being a beautiful flower, they are a reminder that "Holland has tulips."   The now quite famous description of raising a child titled with special needs titled Welcome to Holland describes the situation as if you were planning a trip to Italy and ended up in Holland.  In that situation, you can choose to stay bitter about the unexpected detour and withdraw feeling miserable that you're not where you wanted to be, or you can recognize the beauty in your unexpected situation and realize that although it's not It...

Well I am utterly amazed and humbled by the generosity our friends, family, and total strangers have exhibited towards us and Wesley.  When we first started this push to be able to send Wesley to Adam's Camp, I was doubtful we would be able to raise all of the money but hopeful that we could get close enough to find a way to make it work.  $1200 is no small amount.  Well we have blown away our goal.  At this point, we have raised $1760 for camp plus $3000 for any other needs Wesley has.  This is enough to send him to Adam's Camp, buy a new car seat he can stay rear facing in longer, pay his tuition at Anchor Center for Blind Children next year, buy an epilepsy monitor, and more.  We can't thank you enough for your extreme kindness and generosity.  Every penny leaves us feeling supported and loved on this journey.  Thank you!! Wesley's first school picture (I didn't know it was picture day or I would have dressed him nicer!)

I'm just in utter awe of the generosity of our friends and family (and people we don't even personally know). Over the last month, we have collected $930 towards the $1200 we need to send Wes to camp. I can't believe it's all come together so fast. We are truly truly blessed. I have no doubt we will be able to come up with the last few hundred dollars to pay for camp. Beyond the financial support, which is amazing in and of itself, we feel like so many people are rallying behind Wesley and care immensely about him. It's a great feeling to have so many people love your child. Amidst all this fundraising time, we've had a couple developments in his health. We've seen an increase in seizures again since around October. Because of this, he was refered to the intractable epilepsy clinic to see an epileptologist (neurologist who focuses on epilepsy) instead of our regular neurologist (who is amazing by the way). The epileptologist had us stay at the hospital...