***** blog post is not complete yet
--- I still need to add photos ---
but I can't "redraft" this since it already posted.*****
SHIELD YOUR EYES!!!
PLEASE DON'T READ IT YET
UNTIL THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!!!
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Two of my very best friends, Lindsey and Mia, sent us the most gorgeous canvas a few days after Emma's memorial service, which took place on Friday, March 22nd.
While looking at it, I thought of this little story that possibly occurred, which caused me to start crying. The first paragraph is real, from the early morning of her passing, on Friday, March 15th:
Michael leaned over our daughter with a stethoscope and listened for a heart beat. Her chest was still rising every five seconds because the ventilator was doing it's job by blowing air into her body. He moved the diaphragm of the stethoscope around different parts of her chest as I cradled Emma's head in my hands, my lips close to her pale skin. He shook his head and gave me the worst look, saying he couldn't hear anything. We waited a few moments longer before he told me that he was going to turn off the ventilator. I nodded. We all burst into tears and after hugging Michael, I crawled over to my mom who had been praying so hard with her head on the carpet.
Emma stood on the clouds, watching us through a TV sized opening, as a handsome man slowly made His way toward her and knelt down on one knee beside her. She turned to Him. "Are you Jesus?"
"Yes, Emma, I am. We are very happy to have you here in Heaven."
"But what about them?" she asked, pointing. "They are so sad." Emma didn't even realize that she was speaking out loud for the very first time, while she had been mostly non-verbal for the full six years and nine months of her life.
"For now, yes. But they will never forget you. They will always love you and cherish every memory they had with you. You are so very special to so very many people, Emma. You completed your purpose during your time on Earth, which is why you are here now."
Emma looked up at Jesus, as He stood, then turned back to what was happening. Michael and I had changed her pajamas into cleaner ones and took turns holding her while we waited, devastated and heart broken, for the Hospice nurse and funeral home driver to arrive.
"Take my hand. There are many people who are waiting to meet you."
Emma placed her small hand in Jesus's much larger hand, and He held her securely. As they began to walk away, Emma took one more look back at us and my parents, as the view to Earth faded away, and she was able to enjoy the beginning of her new medically-free life for all of eternity.
**********
I have made a long list of all of the blog posts that I want to write about. I'm sure there will be many more over the years, but these are the first ones that came to mind. I'm not sure if I want to write the sad, more detailed hospital posts while they are still fresh in my memory first, or skip over them and talk about some older happy stuff first.
-- Slow Dream House Build (2021-2022), this is partially written, in my "drafts"
-- Custom Medical Solutions (title by Michael! October 2022)
** there will be a link to Emma's "Wheelchair Trials" blog post from July 2022
Her little wheelchair arrived on September 26th, but I never posted about that either
-- Hunkering Down in Orlando for Hurricane Ian (Sept 2022)
This might be a two part post because there are a lot of pictures. I apologize to everyone who was negatively affected by this hurricane, because Michael always says, "Oh man, that trip was so much fun!" It was, but we are fortunate that he was able to book us in a big, fancy, sturdy hotel. :)
-- Halloween Fun!! (end October 2022)
This will also probably also have two parts since we went to the Zoo's Creatures of the Night event for the first time, and I also found a random church's trunk or treat we could attend. :)
-- Family Reunion with Nana/ Rooted and Grounded (mid Nov 2022)
-- Moving into the House/ Little Thanksgivings (end Nov 2022)
-- Belated Christmas with MDZPH* (January 2023)
*Mommy, Daddy, Zach, Peyton, and Helena
-- Starting home school! ESY with Dawn (March-July 2023)
-- First Grade with Carolina (Sept 2023- February 2024)
-- Atlanta Convention/ Gardens with Lindsey & Walt (May 2023)
-- Emma's 6th Birthday (June 2023)
-- Two Girls Being Big Stuff (Nov 2023)
We bought a second card, and I was able to start taking to Emma places by myself.
This was mainly for doctor appointments, but we went on a few small errands as well.
-- A Wicked Thanksgiving! (end Nov 2023)
-- My Mailbox Buddy (2022-2023, will post between Thanksgiving & Christmas)
-- Crabby Christmas (haha, Dec 2023)
-- 7 Years of Miracles, random "God stories" of survival (2016-2024, her whole life)
-- We Almost Forgot What the Hospital Smelled Like (mid Feb 2024)
-- Emma's Last Hospital Visit (end Feb 2024)
-- Home Hospice (March 2024)
-- Emma's Memorial (March 2024)
-- In Honor of our Honey (May 2024)
This post will talk about the things we are doing now to help others, with the help of the skills we learned over the past seven years by taking care of our sweet angel.
Also one about the appointments for GI where that doctor (here and the one in Orlando) always says that she needs to gain weight, but one or two pounds added to a girl this small makes a big difference. As well as information for a blog post on an Autism evaluation we had scheduled and a Speech/Language appointment she had last year. Aaand.. "The Reign of Snaggletooth", "Emma Being Emma (Our Silly Goose)", "Sasha: Learning to be a Good Big Sister", and many more posts over the next few years talking about how wonderful our life was because of her, and showing off how strong and smart she was. Plus I was so many pictures of her. It wouldn't be fair to hide all of them on my phone forever. :)
