A Mother's Day Reflection

Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone enjoyed the day and had the chance to celebrate all of the wonderful mothers and grandmothers out there. Today I couldn't stop myself from thinking about last Mother's Day. We had just launched the blog in April with the goal of making people more aware of the need for organ donors.  I also hoped that by sharing Ken's story someone out there might decide to become a donor. It was also about a year ago when Greg and Camille traveled to Vancouver, Canada to run a marathon in Ken's honor.  They wore shirts that read "A Kidney for Ken" and hoped to inspire someone to become a living donor. And a few months later our hero, Alex, gave Ken the gift of life. What a journey it has been and it continues...

Ken, Alex, Pat, and Kelly

Last weekend was a dream come true for Ken and me. We traveled for the first time since September 2011! We traveled to Greenville to visit our daughter, Kelly and son-in-law, Alex for the first time in over three years.  We were like "kids in a candy store" planning, packing and finally boarding the plane in New Orleans.  We had a weekend filled with activities - golfing with Alex and his father, enjoying a wonderful baby shower for Kelly and Baby Gus, helping Kelly and Alex pack for their move, and eating great food with good people, the McLeans.  We cherished each moment of each day.  The weekend flew by and the goodbyes were so hard but this time it was different.  We will be back to Greenville very soon!! 

Baby Shower

The latest health update on Ken was given to us driving from the Charlotte airport to Greenville on that Friday.  We were so excited about seeing Kelly and Alex and then the"dreaded" phone call came in.  Although Ken's proteinuria and BK virus levels had increased slightly, the doctors were not concerned and will not be taking additional action at this point.  YAY!!!!!!! That call put our minds at ease, and we could truly enjoy this very special weekend.

Greg and Cam Pre-Race

On the west coast that same weekend, Greg and his wife, Camille ran a marathon in Orange County wearing those same "A Kidney for Ken" t-shirts.  This time they ran in honor of Ken, Alex. and all living donors.  They are still spreading the word about the gift of life, organ donations.  Ken and I have been waiting for the time we could give back.  We hope to take part in some walks in the near future, and share the details with all of you. 

Lastly, I am reading another great book - Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  The author talks about God's grammar lessons.  As a teacher I loved this analogy:  "His periods may not be our periods. His commas may not be our commas.  His ways may not be our ways. But God is the One telling the story, and we can trust Him to take the tale in the right direction. We can have faith that everything really will turn out right." Those are such comforting words to live by and so I wanted to share them with you. 

Celebrating Mother's Day
(Stef, Sophie, Jillie, and Addie)

When I got home from Greenville I wrote a few things in my gratitude journal - traveling again, hugging and not wanting to let go, feeling Baby Gus kicking and hiccuping,  laughing and crying watching movies together, and saying goodbye knowing we will be back soon!

May God protect all of you and your families.  We continue to pray for all of you and thank you for your prayers for Ken!

Until the next time may the Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat