Skip to main content

Following Along

Yeah. So everyone and their grandmother has a blog. I'm just blindly following the crowd, assuming that someone out there will want to read yet one more page of yadayadayada from a frustrated writer who rants about post-election blues, holidays with dysfunctional families, and the evils of Wal-Mart.

Not necessarily in that order.

However, a tiny and fragile, beautiful and much-loved little guy named Will actually prompted me to start my blog. His daddy started one to document Will's progress in the NICU. Will weighed about a pound when he was born, 16 weeks early and by c-section when his mommy, Mary, suffered a severe case of HELLP Syndrome. Sometimes my 1-year-old son Henry's diapers weigh more than that. As Will struggles to breathe, eat, and grow, we struggle right along with him through John's words. And we—friends, family, and co-workers—offer up frequent thoughts and prayers, along with frozen casseroles and promises to help with house chores and e-mail notes of support.

Watching John and Mary cope, so strong and brave, has been quite an inspiration to many people. How fitting is Will's name...he sure has a strong one, and he inherited it from his folks. Whether you're a person of religion, spiritual faith, or believer in fate and destiny, I think this blessed baby is quite a miracle. Using the second defintion of the word in Merriam-Webster's 11th edition—an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment—Will is a miracle. And so are his parents' resolve, his hospital caregivers' talents, advances in modern medicine, and generous souls who donate in support of invaluable research on prematurity.

I thought a lot about Will's situation recently as my husband Tim and I celebrated Henry's first birthday. We take far too much for granted. I gave a silent thank you to the powers-that-be (luck or fate or a higher power) for the relative ease of our pregnancy, delivery, and first year with our little man.

And then I gave another silent thank you to that little guy in the NICU. Thanks for fighting, Will. Thanks for reminding us how amazing life can be. We can't wait to celebrate YOUR first birthday on Oct. 26, 2005.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is it OK to own a Canadian?

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a U.S. resident, and posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative: Dear Dr. Laura: Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them. 1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexic...

In memoriam...

I remember the first time I heard the name "Les Anderson." A bunch of Wichita State University communication majors were sitting around on campus, talking about classes they planned to take. Several people warned me: watch out for Les Anderson. He was tough. He had a murderous grading scale. It was nearly impossible to get an A. They weren't kidding. But he wasn't tough just to be a tyrant. From his teaching sprang a fleet of incredible, successful journalists, writers, editors, broadcasters, public relations experts, advertisers, non-profit professionals...I could go on and on. Most importantly, he created a legion of people who wanted to make a difference in the world. The greatest gift Les gave to them all? He believed in them, cared about them for their own personal stories as well as the stories they told for class assignments or in the pages of his hometown newspaper. Les was my teacher. My boss. My mentor. My conscience. My champion. My friend. When I started c...

Holy Separated-At-Birth, Batman!

Gary Oldman...meet Uncle Knit-Knots from Imagination Movers.