The Story Behind the Story

So I finished posting the last of "Happily After Avery" as some of you might have noticed. Sorry that it took me so long to get it up but I am so happy to have been able to share it. Myndee, my absolutely fabulous friend that wrote it, is one of the most creative, kind and talented people I know. I feel so unworthy of that kind of friendship. Especially because I don't have the talent or imagination to return the favor.

When I first opened the package that this story came in I was surprised to see a beautiful necklace. It was silver with three rings. One ring was inscribed with "Faith", another with"Hope" and the last was made of diamond looking stones. The necklace itself took my breath away but as I read the story and learned the connection between the two it made it even more special to me. I put that necklace on and didn't take it off (only to shower) until the day before we laid Avery to rest and I asked that they place the necklace in her hand to be buried with.

A little more background on the story. At the end when it talks about Avery holding on to pieces of Hope and Faith's wings, in all of her ultrasounds up to that point they had noticed that Avery's hands were always in fists. They could never count her fingers because she never opened her hands. Unfortunately this was one of the signs that her condition was lethal. However, when I read that part of the story I was so touched. Throughout the entire pregnancy we never once did we see her hands unclenched and then when she was born they were still that way. I think that is my favorite part of the story.

Back to Myndee. One of the most amazing people on this earth. She is always thinking of others and sharing her amazing talents to make others smile. She has done so countless times with me and I appreciate her so much. Right now she is in the middle of something great!! Last month she began a Thinking of You 2009 campaign. The description on Facebook reads "We're doing some emotional fundraising. How many people can we impact? All you have to do is send out thinking of you cards and tell the people you love just what you think of them. Then post how many cards or donations you've made to the campaign." They are keeping track of how many cards and notes go out on Facebook. If you are interested and have a Facebook account just let me know and I will point you toward the site. I am sure you can also do a search for the group. I think this is a great idea. Especially this time of year. Even if you aren't on Facebook, you can send a note or a card to those that you love, telling them how much they mean to you and ask them to do the same for those they love. It is kind of a "Pay It Forward" situation but costs almost nothing. I hope that you will participate. I will be sending out my cards and letters this week. I am going to try to do as many as I can.