My husband, Jason, is the man who has walked this journey with me and the man who I turn to in every need, but this isn’t him. This is my brother, Leo. I love this picture because it reminds me of where I come from and who I belong to. It is from a very memorable day from a time when my kids and I were sickest. Leo was newly engaged to Colleen, who is now one of my best friends, and they had driven several hours to spend Thanksgiving with us and help us pack up our house for a move to a new state. Colleen is an incredible photographer and gave us a free family photo shoot as a gift. While we were out taking pictures and playing in the leaves before dusk, my engagement ring fell off. I was so thin that I should have expected it to slip off and left it at home. Hindsight is 20-20. But, the ring was gone and I had a hangry toddler and a chronically sick infant and needed to take them home. Jason, Leo, and Colleen said they would scour the park on hands and knees. Wow. I remember sitting in the car knowing that the holy angels knew just where it was – couldn’t God send an angel to help us? “People, not things.” I reminded myself. “I have Jason, so the ring doesn’t matter.” Yeah right! I tried to be resigned as my tears fell and we headed home.
Before I had finished cooking dinner, the search party came in with my ring. They had narrowed down the right area to search by looking at the photos Colleen had taken and seeing which was the last one I had my ring in. A man, or probably an angel, walking two dogs had come by shortly after I had left. He asked Leo and Colleen what they were looking for. When they told him, he looked down at his feet and said, “You mean this?” Then he picked my ring up out of the fall leaves, handed it over, and walked away with his dogs.
I love looking at this picture and remembering my family – Leo and Colleen aren’t the only family members who have repeatedly bent over backwards to help me. I also remember how silly and snuggly and adorable Seamus and Fiona were and how endlessly patient Jason, who hates photoshoots, was. I remember how cold I was that whole fall and winter – nursing Fiona with all her food issues had made me emaciated to the point of terrible cold tolerance and I was exhausted, too; babies with tummy troubles don’t sleep! It was such a difficult time. But the Lord was still making his love apparent in the everyday things like a visit from family and in the once-ever things like losing my engagement ring and having it returned by a human-angelic-canine team. I come from God’s own heart, just like all of the other beautiful humans in this world. And I belong to him. And he is my Father in good times and in bad. And he has seen fit to give me back my ring and also heal me to a level I had never dreamed. I am reminded of my own healing every time I spend a day out in the cold and enjoy it thoroughly.
I’m a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mom. I was a nurse, once, and someday I want to step again into the world of healthcare – perhaps as a lactation consultant or herbalist or massage therapist. In the meantime, I hope that this website and especially my book, can empower you to find healing for yourself and your loved ones.