Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Can't title this one

There are MANY MANY people we want and need to thank. Hopefully for the time being they know how thankful we are for them, we hope to repay you in some way. But, there are certain people that we often don't thank enough and can be taken for granted, we just automatically assume they know. They are the MOST important people in our lives. So here it goes.....

Mark and I couldn't have even begun to make it through this without our FAMILY and their unfailing support. I could go WAY back in years and try to encompass all the things that have been done but that would take 5 days and 50 blogs to get it all out, so I'll shorten it by starting with this summer(and it's still long!) Because hey, this summer has been one crazy ride...

When this all began, Mark and I were blessed to have our parents coming out several times, at different times and SOMETIMES simultaneously ALL summer long to help us out. They were here for days and then sometimes weeks extending over a month. Sometimes, they would barely drive into their garage two states away after having just left us only to get another "emergency call" to come straight back...and they didn't hesitate. Or they got a call that said "Get on a plane right now, I'll explain when you get here." And they were on the next plane out. Or they would get 4hours down the road, get the call and again, turn around without question. OR, they would pull into our driveway after a LONG 3 day drive, we'd hug, and then we'd drive straight to the hospital. They stayed without an expiration date; caring for Sierra and Josh, coming and going from the hospital, praying, cooking, cleaning, taking kids to doctor appointments, doing "the mountain" of laundry, running our errands, talking us through hard moments, making us laugh to distract us from those hard moments, attending soccer games, holding our hands, holding our kids hands, and most of all making us feel loved. You stood by us the entire time doing whatever you could to keep us going and made sure we were still standing when we felt numb. We have the best parents in the world and we couldn't have done it without them. Words will never completly say what we feel in our hearts.

Our siblings also have been amazing support in so many ways. There was babysitting of our kids, they would come in the middle of the night to give Mark yet another blessing, there were visits that helped him get through the boring times and painful times, there was the continuous phone calls from far away siblings concerned and caring which always gave Mark or myself a boost when we needed it most, there were those who let me "cry on their shoulder" on the phone in the middle of the night when I was scared, there were those who jumped on a plane to be at his side even though he couldn't remember it, there was the care and flight arranged for our kids without hesitation last minute, there was making our children a part of their family to help time go by faster while we were gone for an undetermined amount of time, AND....there was a lifesaving procedure preformed on Mark without hesitation...and it DID save his life. We have the best brothers and sisters in the world. Again, Words can never completly say what we feel in our hearts.

And there were the cousins, aunts, uncles, "second in-laws", and friends that we consider family that also supported and cared for us. They brought us clothes, food, entertained our kids, took care of Scout, stayed for hours in a waiting room and gave emotional support that will never be forgotten. If they couldn't be at his side, they called or e-mailed sharing their support and concern. We have the best extended family in the world. Words can never completly say what we feel in our hearts.

Hopefully each of you know how much you mean to us. Hopefully you know how grateful we are to have you as our parents, our brothers and sisters and our extended family. HOPEFULLY you know that we couldn't have done this without each individual one of YOU and that we LOVE each of you beyond words...because WORDS CAN NEVER COMPLETLY SAY WHAT WE FEEL IN OUR HEARTS...but at least we can try. We KNOW that we were carried by your prayers and thoughts, we are still humbled.

May each of you in turn be blessed and take the time to love your own families. As we have learned personally, don't take time for granted, each day is precious. I know it's cliche, but you have witnessed how through our life.

And most important of all it must be said again, to our parents; Cathy, Jack, Arlene and Michael. This journey was more difficult on you than anyone else, we know that. You made so many sacrifices, your heart ached, you withstood our grouchiness, you loved our kids and put up with THEIR grouchiness, :) you went to the ends of the earth for us. We want you to know that we took every single action, word and thought to heart, hopefully you didn't feel taken for granted. As Mark can never be serious and said with a goofy smile, "We'll repay you when WE take care of YOU by changing your diaper and wiping up your drool!" :) Ok, so that won't be enough I'm sure! But! We can keep telling and showing you we love and appreciate you. Heavenly Father blessed us with you... We love you so very much.

The End

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We're just so thankful that Mark is doing well and that there is such a positive outlook for the future! I really hope all of this is behind you both and that you can relax a bit now! Reese has included Uncle Mark in her prayers every night without prompting and I think she knows he's better now because she hasn't said anything specific about him, just that she's thankful for her aunts and uncles. :) It was good to see you all on Sunday. Let's make plans to get together again soon!