**Heaving sigh**
Okay, here goes...I'm new to this blogging stuff, so bear with me once again. First of all, the kids seem to finally be on the mend. Saturday during Mackenzie's soccer game she came down with a headache, fever and sore throat. Monday she was feeling better, and that night somewhere in the middle of the night Caroline came into our room with the headache, fever and chills, the whole shebang. Wednesday (yesterday) Caroline was better and by late-afternoon Jack's fevers began. Needless to say, it has been a "sick week" in the Alley household...and by "sick" I do not mean the latest slang term meaning "cool or amazing"...I mean "ill, diseased, and utterly pitiful". I have to say, however, that when these little guys are sick is the only time I can get them to sit still on my lap and let me hold them for any length of time, so that is a perk if I must say.
Which brings me to the next topic of this post....NieNie.
Stephanie Nielson and her husband Christian were on Oprah yesterday. Now, I have to be honest and tell you I do not happen to be an Oprah fan. Really. But when Stephanie posted on her blog that she was going to be on Oprah yesterday, I tuned in. Not because I didn't already know her story...I have been following for some time now and have cried, prayed, laughed and lived reading her posts and learning about life, love, and not taking a THING for granted in this world. You see, Stephanie and her husband Christian were involved in a horrible plane crash in August of 2008. Christian was able to escape and pull Stephanie from the crash, sustaining severe burns to his neck, face and hands. Stephanie, however, was severely burned over 80% of her body. She was in a medically-induced coma for 10 weeks. She has undergone amazingly painful healing since then and several surgeries and debridements. By watching "Nie" speak and seeing her in her own home doing what she does daily, and the pain she goes through (that she hardly shows), I started to think of her like a friend I'd always known. I have several online friends that I have never met and have never gotten a chance to "see" other than in pictures. Seeing Stephanie and Christian on TV was like meeting one of these friends in person, face to face. I was also mesmerized by the love between Stephanie and Christian...the way they "lit up" and their eyes met and literally sparkled when Oprah asked how long they had been married.
What a beautiful testimony of LOVE.
I also learned, as I have many times been reminded in her blogs...that Stephanie is the epitomy of what a good mother and wife is. She rises early despite her pain and prepares the day for her kids. She enjoys them and spends time with them, never forgetting how precious this time is. She is creative and makes things that are beautiful -- even the plainest of things. The irony of the scars she wears is that the beauty in her knows no bounds. What I saw on TV was not a scarred woman injured by flames, but rather someone radiating beauty from within and without...shining eyes that know Whose she is and to Whom she belongs. That beauty is one no fire and no tragedy can erase. She inspires me, as do many other wonderful and amazing women I know. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such terrific women in my life. I love my friends, whether online or close by...they help make my time in this world more lovely and help me be a better person. I love them all.
And now...
On to the the monotonous, mundane, regular ol'....WONDERFUL!!... job of loving and providing for my children and my husband. I love that I am able to enjoy these tasks and I love that God has given me these people to cherish and raise up. Thank you, Lord!! I hope to glorify You in all that I do.
Thanks for listening, folks! :)
Kelly
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