Mother's Day 2014

Today I celebrated my 4th Mother's Day (5th if you count the year I was pregnant!) and I have to say I think this was one of my favorites.  This Mother's Day I have an entirely new appreciation for the little things in life and I see this commercialized "holiday" in a whole new light.  For the first time I am truly THANKFUL just to be here.  THANKFUL just to see this day come around once again.  Life is so fragile and so fleeting and that seems to be the thought that resonated in my spirit the most today as I reflected on my life as a mother.  I don't need candy or flowers or cards or gifts.  Just being here was simply enough!

This year I just happened to have my own Mom here to celebrate with and that made it extra special.  Excuse me while I brag on her for a bit for all she's done.  A month ago my Mom came up simply to help for a few days as I had a very minor procedure done on my liver.  Things took a turn for the worse when I ended up being taken by helicopter to ICU at Vandy and she never returned home.  She's been here serving as a permanent fixture in our household since early April and I honestly don't know what we would do without her!  She has been such a tremendous help when it comes to the everyday necessities like getting Kyndall dressed and ready for school, preparing meals, doing laundry, driving me around town when I don't have the energy to do so myself, giving Kyndall baths, cleaning my house, grocery shopping....you name it, she helps with it!  Not only that, it's been great just to have the companionship since it often gets lonely being so far away from our family.  I could definitely get used to having her around!  I've always appreciated my Mom, but never in this way before.  She has a big job ahead of her as she will be my primary care taker once I have my surgery.  She'll be responsible for managing my medications (a HUGE job!!), making sure I get my rest, making sure I eat healthy meals (ha! good luck with that one Mama!) helping me learn to walk, sit, eat and function again, as well as living with me full time in Nashville for about a month until I'm released to return to Jackson.  What she's doing now may seem monumental, but it's nothing compared to the job she will have of keeping me alive once I have my transplant!  So, all that to say THANK YOU Mom for all you're doing and all that you're going to do!  

On our way to church this morning......

(No, we didn't plan the coordinating outfits!  Great minds simply think alike!)

After church we fought the CRAZY lunch crowds at several places before finally settling on lunch at the Old Country Store.  My BFF Glory and her family joined us and that made it extra special!  

The best of friends!

My greatest gift

Can't imagine my life without this little lady.  She's my greatest accomplishment and what I'm most proud of!

I can't describe in words how much I love and adore these two.  Glory is the big sister I never had and I love Caroline as if she were my own.  What will I do without them in a few months??  =(

Happy Mother's Day to us!!

After the chaos which was Mother's Day lunch (ha!), we returned home and I anxiously awaited the arrival of a very special visitor.  I was finally getting the chance to meet my new friend Ashlie who had her liver transplant just a few years ago.  Remember the story of the divine appointment at Stein Mart??  If you missed it, you MUST read about it HERE.  It will give you the goosies in the best possible way!  

Anyway, today was the day that the stars aligned and our busy schedules finally allowed for the two of us to meet in person.  I already felt like I knew her but it was so great to see her, hug her and just sit and listen as I soaked in every last detail of her amazing story.  After my little "scare" last week and experiencing the sheer terror that I did Wednesday night as I received the call for transplant, it was so comforting to talk to someone who is now on the other side of it all and doing so well.  Ashlie is beautiful, healthy and happy and that is such an encouragement to me!  I feel like I've found a forever friend in her, just as I did with Jay who also lives here in Jackson.  I'm just so amazed at how God has placed these people in my life to serve as proof that I CAN and I WILL get through this!  

I look awful (a little frazzled from a hectic Mother's Day morning!) but at least Ashlie looks beautiful!

I think it's funny that we look so similar in this picture.  And, in case you didn't go back and read the story about my divine appointment, Ashlie and I not only share the same name and the same awful liver condition, but we also share the same birthday--December 3rd!  Plus, although she is a few years older than me, she was exactly the same age that I am now when she had her liver transplant!  I still get chills when I think about how God wove all of these details together.  Obviously, we were meant to be friends!

I would also like to mention another blessing that I received yesterday.  It was 2:30 in the afternoon and I'm ashamed to say I was looking lovely still in my PJs with no make up and messy hair.  My husband was working out in the front yard and I had been playing with Kyndall out back.  Matthew called me inside and told me someone was here to see me.  I was totally ashamed of how I looked but was pleasantly surprised to find out who it was.  She introduced herself and immediately I recognized her name.  She was Lisa Rice and she's a friend of Ashlie's as well as Jay's.  (Both of my transplant buddies).  Lisa had a liver transplant herself a few years back and had been briefed on my story from several people.  She's even been reading my blog and keeping up with my progress.  It was such a wonderful surprise to finally put a face with the name that I had heard over the past few months.  Mrs. Lisa is about my Mom's age and Ashlie describes her as an angel and said she doesn't know what she and her family would have done without Mrs. Lisa's support as Ashlie went through her transplant.  Just like Ashlie, she has an amazing story and she shared it with me yesterday as I sat on my couch next to her in my PJs with greasy hair, soaking in every last word and asking a million questions.  Again, there's just something about laying eyes on someone and talking face to face with someone who has been through this that brings a type of comfort that I can't even describe.  To see Jay, Ashlie and Mrs. Lisa healthy, happy and loving life gives me such hope and assurance that everything really is going to be ok.  Not only that, it strengthens my faith in knowing that without a doubt, God placed these people in my life for such a time as this.  I was brought here to Jackson, TN for a reason and now I know what it is.  What are the chances that in a town as small as Jackson that I would have already met THREE individuals who have walked in my shoes and lived my life??  That is surely no coincidence!  Thank you LORD for carefully placing these people in my path to serve as sources of encouragement to me!  And thank you to each of them for being willing to share their stories and help me to find that peace I've been searching for.  If they can do it, so can I!

Apparently while I was visiting with Ashlie this afternoon, Kyndall and Matthew were working on a top secret project in the back yard.  I knew something was up when my Mom suddenly went around the house closing the blinds.  But, I was so engrossed in Ashlie's stories that I really didn't think much of it.  After she left, Kyndall came and told me she had a surprise for me.  She led me to the back yard where I found this sweet Mother's Day gift........

Our little family

I can't wait to relax on my new swing as I watch Kyndall play in the back yard.  This was the perfect gift and I love it!  Kyndall apparently loves it too!

I foresee many-a-naps taking place on this thing!

After we enjoyed some time in the back yard we came in to open cards

Grammy's gift---I bought VIP backstage tickets for myself, Mom and Kelly to attend the Joy Greene/Britt Nicole "Time to Shine" event here in Jackson!  The event doesn't happen until the end of May so there's a very good chance we may not be able to make it since I will likely (hopefully) be in the hospital by then.  But, I'm looking forward to it nonetheless!  

My sister sent cards and a sweet gift for Mom and I to share.  It was a Visa gift card to be used in whatever way we choose to pamper ourselves---be it pedicures, dinner and a movie, etc.  I'm looking forward to spending some time with my Mom doing something just for us.  Thanks Kelly!!!

Kyndall was very proud of the card she gave me!  She's actually sleeping with it right now.  No joke.

Big thanks to Matthew for making this Mother's Day so special for me.  He always makes me feel loved but it's especially been obvious today.  Most of all, I am thankful for the priceless gift he gave me 3.5 years ago when he fulfilled my life long dream of becoming a mother.    

Kyndall also made me a few sweet surprises at school this past week which I'm now proudly displaying on our fridge

To my sweet Kyndall---I love you more than words could ever begin to describe.  Sometimes my heart feels like it's going to burst because my love for you is just that great.  You have been and will always be the greatest joy of my life and the apple of my eye.  Even when you drive me crazy you're adorable.  I can't get enough of you and sometimes I just want to bottle you up and keep you just the way you are forever.  You're growing up way too fast but with each new stage I love you more and more.  You are my constant companion, my biggest cheerleader and the reason I get up every morning.  You keep me laughing constantly with your amazing vocabulary and your witty toddler wisdom.  Experiencing life through your eyes has given me a new appreciation for the little things.  You dance through life without a care in the world, taking time to literally stop and smell the roses.  You have taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined in your short 3.5 years on this Earth.  I'd like to say you've made me a better person but I am still a work in progress and I have a long way to go.  I will always be proud of you and I hope that as your Mommy I make you proud as well.  God gave me an incredible responsibility when he handed you over to me.  I pray that the Lord gives me the strength and the wisdom that it will surely take to mold you and shape you into the beautiful soul that He intended you to be.  I pray that the Lord blesses me with many, many years with you.  You are perfect to me in every way and I can't begin to imagine my life without you.  Thank you for filling my days with laughter, joy and love.  I love you Kyndall Anne Hughes!