Re-lighting the Light {Emily's First Reconciliation}

I used to write in this space often.

I wrote about things near and dear to me.  And those things are mainly my family and my faith.

There is something cathartic about pounding out my thoughts to the rhythmic sound of the keys on this keyboard.  

But I rarely find the time to do that anymore.  

But something very special happened in my daughter's life last night and as I thought about joining all of my friends in posting a picture of it on Facebook, I hesitated.  And ultimately I didn't post anything about it.  

Why?  I don't really know.  But probably because I hate the misunderstanding that so many Protestant Christians have about Catholic Christians.  And probably because I knew that the many dear Christian friends of mine would look at those pictures and think things that I don't want them to think; make incorrect assumptions about my relationship with Jesus.  And probably because I didn't want those friends to think different of me and my faith because I believe in "it".  

"It" is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Better known as Confession to most people.  And it's one of the "big guns" for non-Catholics.  In fact, it's the only thing my very dear and very God-loving, Baptist Mother-in-Law has ever questioned me about in my over 17 years of marriage.  

Oh how I wish there was no separation among Christians and that the unity Christ intended for his Church was still intact!  But it's not.  It's broken and we now live in a Christian reality where there are many Christians who all believe very different things.  But none are as different to Protestants than the practices of the Catholics.  Especially Confession.

And so instead of posting those wonderful images on Facebook, I came here.  To pound out my thoughts.  Not because I think anyone will read them or that I can singlehandedly erase the stigma that so many have about Confession, but because I wanted to share the special and joy-filled experience of my daughter who made her very First Reconciliation on February 4, 2016.

The traditional definition of a sacrament is this:
"an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." 

I like to explain it as the special way that Christ gave us to bridge the gap between the supernatural world and the natural world; between the invisibility of the divine world and the visibility of the mortal world...just as God Himself became Incarnate and took on a human body to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth.  God became fully human, a visible reality.  But His humanness also pointed to a supernatural reality because he was also fully God.  The people of the time could see, feel, touch, and hear God Himself.  But only for a limited time.  

So in His graciousness, Christ gave us a way to continue to see, feel, touch and hear natural, human things that point us to Himself; to a supernatural reality... and that way is through the sacraments.  That's what sacraments are... visible signs that point us to a supernatural reality.  And they give us grace.  Lots of it!

In Baptism, the water we physically feel and know to be a cleansing agent points us to the supernatural reality that we are actually being spiritually cleansed.

In the Eucharist, the bread that we hold in our hands and taste in our mouths points us to the supernatural reality that Christ is actually nourishing and sustaining us with his own Body.

And in Reconciliation, we audibly hear the words of forgiveness that point us to the supernatural reality that it is Jesus himself who is tenderly forgiving us for all that we have confessed.

And that is exactly what happened last night... In a candlelit church sanctuary, with beautiful music playing in the background, my sweet Emily Kate had an encounter with Jesus when she humbly confessed aloud the things she has done that have been offensive to God.  And Jesus, through the voice of the priest, assured her of His love and forgiveness and gave her His grace to press on with determination to do better.

Was she scared?  No!  Well, maybe a little nervous.
Was she upset that she had to say it out loud? No!
Was she sad about it?  Absolutely Not!

It was the exact opposite.

She talked about it for weeks... giddy and excited.  
The morning of February 4th, she awoke with a huge smile and announced "Today is my First Reconciliation!"

She grinned the whole night... 
as she walked towards receiving the Sacrament and after she exited the door; 
cleansed, forgiven, and perfectly reconciled with Jesus, her savior.

At the beginning of the ceremony, there were 6 candles shining brightly at the altar.  Father Dan explained how the light of Christ shines so brightly within us when we are Baptized.  But when we use our free will to make the choice to turn away from God (through sin), that light gets a little dimmer.  One by one, those 6 candles were extinguished as the children read examples of sinful choices that children often make.  The light in the room grew dimmer.

But then something special happened.  One by one, the children received their First Reconciliation and as Father Dan explained, the light of Christ was re-lit inside their hearts and was burning brightly again!  And so they each carried a small candle to the altar; representing the light that had been re-lit inside their hearts.  

At the end of the night, the altar shone more brightly than it did when we first arrived.  The shining candle lights symbolized the amazing grace of Jesus' forgiveness that was poured out upon those 2nd grade children and ignited a new flame within their hearts.  And the light wasn't just coming from the candles... it was coming from the children too!  

I think it's so unfortunate that so many people have such a negative view of this special sacrament.  Most of that negativity is based on misunderstanding or incorrect assumptions.  But these 2nd graders... they got it.  And the result was huge smiles and a feeling that can only be explained by someone who has experienced that kind of grace poured out on them.

Was it hard for my Emily to say the things she did out loud? 

Probably.

But just like when we hurt a friend and we feel sorry that we did so, we still need to TELL them we are sorry.  They can't just know it.  They need to hear it.  

Is it hard to do?  Of course!  But we need to SAY it to our friend; verbally acknowledge our wrongdoing and ask for their forgiveness. And once we say it, we feel the weight of the hurt lifted and we know that we are truly reconciled in our relationship with that friend.

Our friend, Jesus, is no different!  Is it hard to say aloud that we are sorry for the things we have done?  Of course.  But there is something special about the humility that is required to verbally express our faults. In that humility, Jesus transforms us with his love, his forgiveness and his grace.  And we feel physically lighter. 

Could Emily have just told God her sins directly?

Of course she could have!  And she can!

But will she?  Will I?  Will you?

One of the best parts about the sacrament is that in it, Jesus gave us a reason to humbly examine our conscience in an effort to truly understand where we have been offensive to God in our lives.  To take a deep, critical look at our behavior, our thoughts, and our motives and ask ourselves if they are in accordance with God's commands.   

Can you do this without the sacrament?  

Absolutely, but do you?  Will you?  

How often does a person use the Ten Commandments or the Lord's prayer or the Beatitudes to do a thorough examination of themselves to discern where they are being sinful?  I know I only do it as I prepare for Reconciliation!  And I think Jesus knew this about our human nature.  He knew that an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude toward sin would be harmful to us and so He gave us a little nudge to evaluate ourselves through this sacrament.  

And the interesting thing is.... the more I go to Reconciliation and examine my own conscience, the more I am aware of my daily tendencies towards sin and the more often I confess those things directly to God as they happen (hello patience and complaining!).  It's a beautiful thing... the sacrament not only points me to the supernatural forgiveness of Christ; it trains my own mind to be more aware of my need to ask Jesus for his forgiveness and His grace in my day-to-day struggles.  It transforms me and my relationship with Christ; not just in the moment of Reconciliation; but daily.

And let's be clear about one very important thing...

It is Jesus who forgives!  

He simply uses the priest in the sacrament to verbally give us His words so that we can hear them; bridging the gap between Heaven and Earth once again.  It's a beautiful thing, really.  Christ knows and understands my humanness and because of that humanness, He gives me a verbal response that my human ears can hear, but my mind and heart know comes from Him.  

A natural sign pointing to a supernatural reality.  
A sacrament.  
An outward sign.  
Instituted by Christ.  
To give grace.

Ah grace! I saved the best for last.

The sacrament gives you grace.  Grace to do better.  Grace to do the hard things that are often required to live a life in accordance with Christ and his teachings.  A big heaping dose of grace - God's own help - to do the things that I cannot do on my own... that's what I get every time I go to Him in the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Like the Prodigal Son, I go to verbally admit my wrongdoing, but in His mercy, like the Prodigal Son's Father, Jesus runs to embrace me and pours out His grace on me.  He relights the fire within my heart.  And I shine brighter than I did before.

Just like my Emily Kate did!

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another..."

James 5:16

"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any; they have been retained."

John 20:23

*****

Note:  While I could have written this post ƒrom an apologetic standpoint, citing scriptural support for the sacrament, I chose to write from a more human and personal standpoint.  Therefore, if you read this post and disagree with the practice of Reconciliation, I would respectfully ask you to please refrain from commenting with the intent to enlighten me (trust me, I've done my due diligence!).  While I could, I choose not to enter into a debate on the subject.  I simply wanted to share mine and my Emily's human experience with the specialness of this kind of encounter with Christ. 

Dear Emily {Choose Beautiful}

My dear Emily Kate,

Tonight you were so lovely.  On several occasions I thought my heart would burst as I watched your loveliness.

You read me a book with such beautiful expression and excitement.  And your pure delight in doing this small act was lovely.

You decided to pick up the house because I wasn't feeling well and you wanted to surprise your daddy who has been out of town for several days.  I didn't ask you to do this.  You just did it.  You did it with a smile.  And your desire to serve me in this meaningful way was lovely.

You picked up your chunky baby sister who was crying and bounced her on your hip to quiet her and entertain her.  And your motherly instinct and care for another was lovely.


You bounced and giggled on your bed with your little sister.  You sweetly allowed her to join you on your bed and you played with her and made her laugh with delight.  And it was lovely to watch.

You told me a story about your day at school.  You smiled so brightly when you shared a part of your life with me.  And it was lovely to be included in your thoughts.

You are a beautiful girl, Emily.  You are lovely in so many ways.

But the things that make you the loveliest are not the things that the world will tell you makes a person beautiful.  

The world will tell you that the way you look, the clothes you wear and the size of your body are what make you beautiful.

But please hear what I have to tell you sweet girl...
The world is wrong, Emily.  So very, very wrong.

Your eyes do sparkle and your hair is silky and you do look precious in your tutu's and "sporty" clothes.

But those are not the things that make you beautiful.

What makes you radiantly beautiful is your heart.  
Your spirit.  
Your character.
Your kindness.

And tonight, in all those little things that you did, I saw your beauty shining so brightly. 

You, just being you, was lovely.
Beautiful.

I watched a video today that I can't stop thinking about.  A company put two signs above two different doors at the entry into the building.  Above one door, the sign read "Average".  Above the other door, the sign read "Beautiful".  It was poignant to watch the women try to decide which door to walk through.  To see how many beautiful women walked through the door marked "average".  I suspect they walked through the "average" door because they were evaluating themselves by the world's idea of what makes a person beautiful.  By how they look on the outside.  By what size their clothes are.  By whether or not they can wear a pair of skinny jeans.  

And I wondered which door I would walk through.  I hope I would choose beautiful.

And then I thought about you.  And your sisters.  

And how I hope and pray that you as you grow, you will know that you are beautiful.  

You are beautiful because your are made in God's own image.
He resides within your heart and His love is beautiful.  And that makes you beautiful too.

You are beautiful because your are uniquely you.
No one else has the same eyes that change color and no one else does cartwheels the same way and no one else can make her sisters feel as special as you.  You are beautiful simply because you are YOU.

You are beautiful because you smile and laugh.  
I've been telling you that "you're never full dressed without a smile" and "your smile is what makes you pretty" since the time you were old enough to talk.  Your smile and your giggle are beautiful.  Infectious really.  Do the things in life that make you laugh.  And smile.  You get to decide how you approach life; what your attitude will be.  Keep choosing fun, choose to giggle, choose to smile.  A positive spirit radiates beauty.  No matter how pretty your clothes are, it's the smile on your face that makes you beautiful.

You are beautiful because you are kind.
When you include others, when you refuse to speak badly about another person, when you share the special things that are yours, and when you seek to comfort those who are sad, you are being kind.  And hear me loud and clear on this one, sweetie.  Kindness is very, very beautiful.  

It's already starting. 

You are only seven, yet you are becoming aware of the world and its false idea of beauty.  I know this and it scares me.  It scares me because I fear the world's voice might speak so loud that you actually begin to believe it.  

Don't believe it, Emily!

As you grow and you hear the world trying to whisper its lies to you about beauty, don't listen!  No matter how loud the whisper gets, don't listen.

Listen to me instead.
Listen to Jesus.  The one who created you in His own beauty.
Listen to the voice inside of you that reminds you that you are beautiful, even when you don't feel like it.  
Listen to the truth.

And then, dear girl, hold your head high, stand tall, smile your infectious smile, and walk through the door marked "beautiful".  

ALWAYS CHOOSE BEAUTIFUL.

Because you are.  

Born Again Celebrations {2014}

In the Catholic faith tradition, we baptize babies.

This practice has both scriptural as well as historical traditional support.  We believe that on the day a baby is baptized, they are born again... made new creatures; children of God who are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Because babies are unable to speak for themselves, they are baptized on the faith of their parents.  As parents, we make a promise to give our children every benefit of a Christian upbringing; promising to teach them about Jesus Christ, his Church, and his Commandments.  Baptism is not, however, a free ticket to Heaven.  As our children grow, they will have to stand on their own two feet and cultivate their own personal relationship with Christ.  They will have to say "yes" to living the Christian life they were baptized into on their Born Again day.  

To help our children be ever-mindful of their Baptism and what it means from a faith standpoint, we began the tradition of celebrating their Baptism Days annually... much like we celebrate their birthday's.  I tell them we celebrate this day because it was the most important day of their life...the day they were saved and gained the hope of living eternally.

My hope is that through this annual celebration, they will grow to fully understand their Baptism and its significance as well as its responsibility and calling.  It is through teaching them their faith that I hope they will be able to say "yes" to a life in Christ on their own one day.

And so I use things to help them understand.

The table is decorated with all things white... a reminder of being made new and of being washed clean from the stain of original sin.  

Their baptismal candle is lit... a reminder that, because of their Baptism, they have the light of Christ living inside of them.  It is their job to always let that light shine!

We eat sweets... a reminder of the sweet-smelling chrism oil that they were anointed with on their Baptism day.  That sweet smell is a reminder of the sweetness of Heaven! 

The images from the ceremony are looked at and explained through Baptismal books I have made for each of them... showing and explaining to them what spiritually happened as the water washed over their sweet heads.

It's a celebration, so a gift is given... a small, religious gift symbolic of their Baptism is given to them by us (and sometimes their godparents) to remind them of the specialness of this day.

The kids enjoy this special celebration so much.  It takes far less effort to plan than a birthday party, and it is far more important to me than any birthday party I will ever plan.  

A few pics from our 2014 Baptism Celebrations...

{Emily Kate:  2.3.14 - 6 years}

{Dinner table dressed up in white}

{Photo book and Baptismal "white garment" on display}

{White "sweets" and the lighting of the Baptismal Candle}

{Blowing out the Candle after singing "Happy Baptism Day to you..."}

{Gift from mommy & daddy... necklace reminding her on her Baptism, she became a part of God's KINGDOM}

{Gift from Godparents}

                                                                                                   {Abby Grace:  3.25.14 - 2 years}

Sweet Abby shares her "New Birth Day" with Molly's actual Birthday!  That complicates the dinner table set up slightly as we have to decorate a table to celebrate both events.  So Abby's place at the table was prepped with white flowers and her Baptismal mementos.

{white flowers and white baptismal garment}

{abby's "white garment" worn during her baptism}

{white cake balls for "something sweet" to remind her of the sweetness of heaven}

{baptismal candle lit to represent the light of christ}

{blowing out her candle as we sing "happy baptism day to you..."}

{baptismal gifts: "fruits of the spirit puzzle & bracelet with cross charm from mommy & daddy

and 2 books about Jesus from Nonny & Papa}

{Molly Clare:  4.11.14 - 4 years}

{Noah Robert:  5.8.14 - 9 years}

Ok.  So here's where I confess to you that I often have great ideas that I don't always follow through with!  I always have good intentions, but those good intentions are often not in alignment with the reality of my very busy life! I cannot do it all.  I want to, but I can't.  And so sometimes often things fall through... like Baptism Anniversary dinners.  

Molly completely got the shaft, but I assuaged my guilt by reminding myself she is still a tad bit young to understand this tradition.  Hopefully I'll get to her in 2015!  I did take white cake balls to Noah at school on his Baptism day and gave him a new prayer journal as a small gift.  He reminded me (on several occasions!) that the cake balls were nice, but they did not make up for the fact that we did not do his Baptism dinner! 

{Lucy Elizabeth: 7.20.14 - 1 month}

On her 1 month birthday, our Lucy Elizabeth was baptized into the body of Christ and saved through the waters of Baptism.  Her special day was not free from the errors of an overtired and too busy mother either.  While her day DID happen; it didn't happen in the way I wanted it to either.

All of my girls have been baptized in the same white gown.  I wanted it that way.  I dream of my granddaughters being baptized in it as well.  In anticipation of Lucy's baptism, I took the delicate gown to the cleaners about a month before her birth to be cleaned and prepped for her impending special day.

The night before her Baptism, I went to lay out her gown.  Only I couldn't find it.  I searched and searched and searched.  It was Saturday night and the gown was nowhere to be found.  Nowhere.  I considered canceling the Baptism all together.  I couldn't imagine what I would do if she didn't have her special white gown.  It seemed wrong.  

But then I remembered something.

It's not about the dress!

It's about the grace.  The saving grace of Baptism... it's real and it's necessary and it works no matter what the person receiving it is wearing!  

And so I dressed her in a white outfit I had purchased for her to wear as an "after Baptism outfit".  I was grateful I had it!  It fit the bill and until someone points it out to her in her adulthood, I'm not sure she will ever know the difference!

It might not have been how I planned it to be, but there was still a white gown(ish)...

There was still a candle...

There were still sweets...

There was still family and celebration and a sweet-smelling, freshly baptized child of God.

And most importantly...

There was still grace.  The saving grace of Baptism.  

 

Odd

Hello, little blog.

It's nice to see you again.

I've been markedly absent for a few months.  The reason being the chaos of life in general, as well as feeling a bit odd... emotionally and physically; leaving me with little energy or time to type out my thoughts and life moments in this little space that I have grown to love.

Vance and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary at the beginning of October.  We escaped for a kid-free weekend in Kansas City to relax and to shop model homes for floor plans in anticipation of potentially building a new house next year.  

Unbeknownst to us, that weekend trip marked the beginning of these odd feelings; both physical and emotional.

Little did we know as we shopped floor plans that offered 4 kid bedrooms on one floor that God was at work changing up our family dynamic... this time, making it odd in number {again}.  And making the need to shop for house plans more necessary than we knew as we walked the floors of those model homes.

After feeling, well... odd, for over a month, we were shocked and surprised to discover that our family would, once again, become odd in number in the summer of 2014.

The physical oddness is to be expected in early pregnancy.  But my physical symptoms are slightly different than in my previous 4 pregnancies; leaving a worrier like myself trying (much too often) to contemplate the reasons for those differences.  Things just feel different.  Odd.  And at nearly 13 weeks, I have officially entered the awkward and well... odd stage of pregnancy in which I don't look pregnant, just fat.  

But the emotional oddness is what has been affecting me more profoundly this time.  I remember the mixed and strange reactions we received when we shared that we were expecting our {planned} fourth pregnancy.  So wondering what kind of reactions we would get when we shared this {surprise} fifth pregnancy felt even more odd.  We knew we would get odd looks and reactions as well as unsolicited comments about whether or not we understand "how these things happen."  For the record, we do!  We also know how odd this news might seem to the eyes of society at large.  And thinking about all of this made us feel odd about sharing the news.

And so we held it close to us for as long as we could.  When the physical symptoms proved to be too difficult to hide any longer, we began to selectively share the news with close family and friends.  We are blessed immensely with family and friends who share our openness to life and reject societal norms about "what a family should look like."  We didn't get a single odd reaction from anyone.  Just smiles, words of heartfelt congratulations, and offers to help in any and every way.

And then we told our kids.

Without a single second of hesitation, they each smiled from ear to ear and showed us a sparkle in their eyes as they exclaimed "yea!"  Not a second thought about whether or not having another sibling would be odd for them.  Just excitement and immediate predictions about whether it would be a brother or sister.  

The next day, I went to their school to attend Mass.  As I entered the building, I was greeted with a big hug and words of "congratulations" from the school principal.  When I looked surprised by her greeting, she quickly told me that Noah had come to her that morning and asked her to pray for me (over the school intercom) because I had not been feeling well because I was pregnant.  No thoughts of whether or not another sibling would be an infringement on his life... just simple excitement and concern for his mother.

And with that act of compassion by Noah, the beans were officially spilled and our surprising news spread.

Regardless of the unexpected and overall positive reactions to our news, I still feel odd about it... even today.

Perhaps it's because I'm increasingly worried about my age; which is "advanced" by child-bearing standards.

Perhaps it's because I feel my life is in constant chaos and the idea of adding another layer feels a bit crazy.

Perhaps it's because although we will always maintain an openness to life, my head felt like Abby was the last one.

Perhaps it's because I'm being offered additional tests to "rule out" complications which is making my mind fret with fear and allowing anxiety over health concerns to consume me.

Perhaps it's because I find myself thinking about things such as how I will fit 5 car seats into my mini-van or where a 5th baby bed will reside in our already cramped living quarters.

Or perhaps it's because this is the first true surprise... the only one that we didn't think was a possibility.  

Whatever the reason for my feelings of oddness, I am certain of just one thing... but it's a very important "thing".  

It's this:  I am 100% certain that this is God's plan and will for our life.  There are very few moments in life where a person can assert that level of certainty about something.  I don't think I have ever experienced this degree of certainty about responding to God's call and knowing in the depths of my soul that I am walking in His will.  And that's a pretty great feeling!

Even though we thought our life was heading in a different direction, we remained open to allow God to reveal His plan to us should it be different than our own.  Turns out, it was different.  And the only reason we know that is because we did nothing to stop Him from revealing this plan.  That is why I can be so certain in my statement that this is God's plan for us. 

No matter how odd it might seem to society and no matter how odd it might feel to me right now, this is God's plan.

And I can trust it.  

Another Holy Baby

Reminds me of this post :)

And I'm linking this up with simplemama's "What My Baby Wore" series because it's just too funny not to!  

TEARS turned into DANCING

"You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy..."

Psalm 30:11

~~~~~~~~~~

There is much to share about the JOYous day that was October 27, 2012... my brother's long awaited wedding day.  And I will be sharing pictures of all the fun and wonderful things of that day very soon.

But first, I need to share something else that has not left my heart or my mind about that day...

...something that shows me what it means to have true faith in a God that is good and keeps His promises.

...something that bears witness to the invisible, but so very real, help of God... that thing called "grace".

...something that is a result of prayer, but continues to need prayer.

...something that brings me tears of sorrow, but also tears of joy.

In the wedding program, there was a page memorializing the family members of those who have passed.  The last name listed is not our biological family member; but we consider him a family member nonetheless.

Seeing his name in print and later hearing Father Dan verbally speak it as we prayed for these individuals brought me and his family to tears.

Tears are something they are used to.  They have cried thousands upon thousands of them in the past several years.

...they cried tears of sorrow when they learned their adoption of their daughter/granddaughter/niece was being contested.   

...they cried tears of joy when they won their first court case; allowing her to continue to be their daughter.

...they cried more tears of sorrow as the adoption battle raged on and they fought through an appellate court case.

...they cried more tears of joy when they won that case too.

...they cried, once again, when they learned the fight was not over and that they would be taking the battle to keep their Waverley to the Supreme Court.

...they cried tears when they lost their two year adoption battle.

...they cried tears as they watched their daughter/granddaughter/niece leave their family.

...they cried tears of heartache and despair as they mourned the loss of their precious girl.

...and then, they cried tears when their husband/son/brother was called Home suddenly and much too early.

...they have cried so many, many tears because they have had to endure losses so deep, so sudden, so great, so soon.

And on Saturday, they cried tears of happiness for my brother on his joyous day; but also tears of sorrow as they missed him.  Saw and heard his name.  And missed her.

And those thousands of shed tears... they are what make this "thing" I need to share with you so amazing.  It's what makes it a testament to their faith, to God's grace, to the power of prayer.  

On Saturday, amidst their heartache and despite their tears...



They danced.

Every single one of them.

They held hands, they smiled, they hugged.

They celebrated for someone else and they lived in spite of their broken hearts. 

And they danced.

It's easy to say that we have faith and that we will trust God when things are going well.  

It's something quite different to live and breathe that faith when your world has been torn apart... over and over again.

But these people, this family, they are the real deal.

Because as I watched them dance, fighting my own tears that wanted to fall, I saw their faith.  I saw God holding them up; making their feet move and their hands wave.  I saw His goodness as I watched Harper dance with her cousin and hang on the back of her uncle.  I saw the evidence of His grace, of the prayers, of their total and complete reliance on Him and the promise that he gives...

that He will turn their tears into dancing.

~~~~~~~~~~

I know many of you have prayed for this family over the years and I needed you to see this.  I needed you to see their real, living faith.  I needed you to see that your prayers matter.  And I needed you to know that they will continue to need your prayers.

Molly recently shared some news about a new joy that she is experiencing.  Her tears are not over.  There is no doubt that there will be many more tears of grief and sorrow.  But God has started to redeem her suffering and turn her tears into dancing.  Be joyful for her and with her.  And continue to pray for her and Harper as they navigate this new chapter in their lives.

And continue to pray for Matt's family and for the God given relationships that exist between them and Molly.  Pray for those special relationships be sustained and grow stronger; never to be weakened.

Pray for them all.  That their hearts be restored, their suffering be redeemed, their sorrow be turned to joy, and their tears be turned into dancing. 

Lots more dancing.

{This is Matt's dad's hand, wearing his Waverley bracelet, dancing with Harper}