A Stratton Style New Year

2012, what a year it has been.  The transitioning from one year to the next has been a bitter sweet one for me.  Rejoicing over the triumphs, grieving the losses, both ours and others, excited about the prospects of a new year, and moments of fear at the unknown for us.  As a mom and I know mark shares my heart in this as well, we want to thank you for praying us through this year.  The Lord prepared us day by day, week by week and month by month for what we were to face this year.  That preparation included each of you that have become, or grown to be a closer part of our lives.

 

Ten days before Christmas we were privileged to bring our sweet Brylee home indefinitely from the hospital.  We are so grateful for the time she got to spend at Baylor’s Our Children’s House.  We consider it an amazing gift that she was able to be a part of their inpatient program and will be able to continue with her outpatient therapy there as well.  She is doing wonderful and it is such a joy to have all three of our precious blessings home together.  She is slowly being able to take more and more at each feeding and each feeding is one closer to her being able to eat entirely on her own.  She is able to roll occasionally from her tummy to her back and wants very badly to be able to go from her back to her tummy.  She smiles, and is occasionally laughing, loves to kick her feet, and has learned to suck her thumb.  She is absolutely overwhelming in love with her brother and sister, and lets us know on no uncertain terms if she is not in the same room “playing” with them.  We see her cp more prominently but are amazed at the ways she has already found to compensate.  We try to teach her to hold toys in her weak hand and she can not always do it for long and can’t do it every time, but she tries.  She will take that right hand, that strong hand and she will grab hold of her left hand, her weak hand and slowly bring the toy we have placed in it to her mouth.  Her struggles may never go away, but there are no words to explain how in awe I am that such a little one can do such a big thing.  That in her weakness she is already finding where she is strong.

 

It has been an adjustment being back home together.  We continue to covet your prayers as we learn to live life together as a family again.  Our “big kids” are eating up every minute of the time we have spent together the 5 of us, but still struggle many days with the fear of what is to come.  Our sweet Adaline has gotten to move in with her baby sister and is finding great comfort in having a “friend” with her when she lays her head down at night.  I love to see who the Lord uses in our lives as tangible evidence of his presence.  At three it is an unfathomable concept that God is all you need, but at three my sweet Adaline will tell you that God gave her Brylee and she does not feel alone when her Brylee is there. 

 There is a verse in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 that says

 9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

That is what you all have been for us this last year.  You have helped to form a cord that can not be broken.  The Lord is our sustaining power, but I am thankful for a loving, compassionate, merciful God who uses tangible, living, breathing, human being to show us his everlasting and unconditional love.  People to help to hold us up when our legs have buckled beneath us, and we are too weak to stand on our own. I would be lying if I said I don’t get a lump in the back of my throat sometimes when I think about everything the last year.  But what an amazing way to start the new year, than on the strength of a mighty God who has faithfully carried us through the fire.    We love each and every one of you.  Happy New Year!