Pleasant Grove

Last Saturday we had the privilege to help with the tornado relief efforts. Our team was assigned to a neighborhood right outside of Birmingham, and specifically to assist the Smith's, a sweet couple in need of debris cleanup and tree removal.

Marvin is 82 and Barbara is 75. They have been married for all of 6 years, and were positively the cutest people I have ever met. Both worked along side of us all day, and got teary eyed when trying to express their gratitude. Barbara gave all of us multiple hugs and talked in disbelief of the devastation that surrounded them. Words cannot express and pictures do not show the magnitude of the destruction. It is like nothing I have ever seen in my entire life. It was all I could do not to cry- yet out of something so terrible, has come a great deal of good.

I was blown away by the amount of volunteers and churches that had come together to help. I thank God for the opportunity to be among them, and I look forward to volunteering more in the days to come throughout the road to recovery. Please continue to pray for those affected by these storms!

Updates

There have been two events that have absolutely consumed my heart and soul this week.

The recent tornado outbreak is still so very real and painful- one week has passed, and yet, in that small amount of time, so much has changed. Neighbors are helping neighbors, rivals are helping rivals- beyond anything else-- we are in this thing together. Some are more impacted than others, but all of us have been affected in some way or another. I am ready for Saturday, if for nothing else, to provide healing to my soul. I don't care if I am hauling trees, fishing through rubble, serving food or providing any amount of comfort-- I need to do something.

I have become fixated on You Tube-- watching the tornados whip through the state over and over and over again. I scour blogs, facebook and online articles related to the storms and the aftermath. I know that on Saturday, I will be way more blessed than any of the people and families we serve. I am a firm beliver that giving back, regardless of the method, is the best medicine for survivors guilt or the feeling of utter helplessness.

The other unexpected event that has affected our family is Wyatt's impending tonsilectomy on Tuesday. Whether or not a medical procedure is inpatient or outpatient, minor or major, planned or unplanned is completely irrelevent to this momma. I am a nervous wreck thinking about my baby going under anesthesia, have needles poked into his arm, and being scared because he doesn't know what's going on. I feel a MILLION times better that my co-workers will be in the OR with him and that we are having the surgery done in such an exceptional facility. It is, however, nervewracking nonetheless.

We did find out this week that Wyatt has a minor heart murmur that has gone undetected until now- probably because the doctors can hear it better when he is sick. I felt kind of silly after tests were ran and everything looked okay, because I burst into tears in the doctors office and began thinking of everything and anything that could lay ahead for us, and for him. I think it comes with working with and around sick children- you just always expect the worst- and it adds another element of worry to Tuesday-- even with the surgeon's assurance that everything will be fine- I am trusting in the Lord to hold my baby even when I can't, and I know that Wyatt will be taken care of.

Thanks in advance for all your prayers in the upcoming week!

All for the kids...

Today was a bittersweet day. The annual Region's Charity Classic is underway- for those of you outside of the Birmingham area, this is a Pro Am/PGA tournament, and all of the money raised goes to charity. Over the last 19 years, the money has been split between multiple causes, but this year- every dime is going to Children's Hospital. I almost cried when I heard the news. Children's is a place close to my heart- not because it's where I draw a paycheck- but because it is a place of hope.

After spending a gorgeous day on the course, I headed back to meet some of the pro players at the hospital- so many patients who wanted to come and enjoy the festivities couldn't because they were too ill, so the players came to see them.

My heart broke for these babies- I just wanted to take them all in my arms and tell them how much Jesus loves them- that their lives are precious, and that they are racking up crowns of gold in heaven. That the pain they endure on earth will not be for eternity and that one day- they will be healed.

These sweet little angels need our prayers ya'll. Thank God for your healthy children, and pray for these in a hospital bed tonight.

To the Bruno Event Team, Regions Bank and all of the countless volunteers- thank you. You have no idea how many lives will be changed- and how much hope will be renewed.

Please Support Your Local CMN Hospital

For those of you who do any shopping online, please visit the link below. All of these online retailers donate a percentage of their sales to Children's Miracle Network. In Alabama, every dollar designated to CMN goes directly to Children's Hospital. If you share my obsession with Amazon or Overstock, just by entering your zip code you are helping a great cause!

It is amazing working for such an incredible organization. Every SINGLE day Children's is bettering the lives of ill or injured children across the state, and this is just one small way to say thank you for all they do. Overstock.com is donating five percent of all of their online sales to CMN! WOW!

http://www.shoppingformiracles.com/shop