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having a hard time posting again

I know I've said this already, but my heart is just so very heavy with Luke's death. I am having a hard time with posting cute pictures of my kids and light-hearted tidbits from our life, because it FEELS trivial. I KNOW that our daily life isn't trivial, but I don't want to march on as if what happened to Luke hasn't shaken me. There have been other times like this, when I realize the miracle that each one of my children is healthy and that our family is growing and thriving. (not pregnant!) Surely God gives and He takes away. This is what's overwhelming me... the bountiful gifts of a gracious God. I feel like Jacob, with my son on the altar, trembling before an all-powerful, holy God, so thankful.

God brought Luke home to Heaven

We took the youth group on a retreat this weekend, and in the middle of it, Justin called to say that Luke passed away on Friday night. My heart's so heavy with the thought of what it would be like to lose one of my little ones. I just feel for Holly so much. I know that God is giving them strength and peace, but I'm sure they feel the sting of death too. In the midst of this tragic loss, I'm so thankful that we have a God who understands the pain of death and the suffering we feel now, before we go to Heaven. He cares enough to promise that those who mourn will be comforted. Praise God for his goodness.

Luke's kidneys

Holly posted earlier on her blog that Luke's kidneys are not functioning as well as they would like them too. They are asking that we pray for his kidneys to process out all of the fluid that has built up in his body and that he would respond to whatever treatment they use. Please continue to pray.

surgery went well

Check out Justin and Holly's blog at http://tnmillerfamily.blogspot.com/. Luke did better than expected in surgery last night! Praise God! Today may be rough day for him as he experiences the post-op slump, but overall he's doing better than other babies who have the same surgery done. Good news. ;) Thank you to all of you who have been praying.

another update

Little Luke went in at 2pm this afternoon and as far as I know, everything is going well so far. If I remember correctly, this surgery is a 6-10 hour surgery, so the Millers are doing a lot of waiting and praying right now. Please continue to pray with us for a successful surgery and a long healthy life for Luke.

Update on the Millers

I mentioned earlier that our friends Justin and Holly Miller were about to have their second boy, Luke, and that he has a heart defect. Here's a brief update. Justin called last night and gave me the basics. He was driving, so I don't know a whole lot of background. What I do know is that Luke Allen (Alan?) Miller was born on Wednesday afternoon and that he looked great. The doctors said that if they hadn't known about his defect beforehand, they would have sent him home. He looked so good, in fact, that Holly and Justin were able to hold him for a few minutes, which they didn't expect to do for that long, if at all. Since then, he's been in the NICU at Vanderbilt, in Nashville. Justin said he looks just like Zach, their older son and he seems to be doing well. They had a bit of a scare yesterday, because they weren't sure if they could do surgery, which would mean Luke wouldn't make it. However, they ARE going to do the first surgery on Monday. Luke is scheduled to go in earlier in the day (maybe 11 or 12). So, please pray for the Millers this weekend and especially on Monday. I don't pretend to know all of the details, but I do know that this surgery is very important and he's a newborn. Please pray that God would use whatever means he chooses to heal Luke, that He would guide the doctors and give Justin and Holly peace as they wait and pray.

a glimpse of Spring

On Monday I took the kids to the Ft. O Park. We frolicked in the sun and everyone was in a great mood. This was the first time I've taken the kids to the park by myself successfully. Clara can run around now, so I can chase after them all without a baby in arms, at least not the whole time. She actually did really well. She conquered the first tall slide she came to and cackled every time we went down. With the sun and the outside time we have had this week, discipline has been at a minimum, which helps to put me in a better mood too (or is it the other way around?).

Today it's raining and Dana seems to have an ear infection, so we're laying low, but the hope of Spring is making today quite a bit more enjoyable.