#49 - Sadness - A Mother's Courage

This morning I turned on my computer and went to my email. My first email is from a blog friend, Barbara Saunders who has a son with Addison's disease. I have previously posted Barbara's story on my blog and admire her strength after such a scary time with getting her son diagnosed. Barbara had sent me an email to let me know that a sweet little girl who has been such a huge part of our Addison's community passed away yesterday. I read the first line and had to run to the bathroom to let myself break down in heartbreak out of view from my visiting niece. But, the heartache runs deep. Our family feels such sadness for Annie's family, yet we are trying to keep remembering that Annie is no longer struggling. Sometimes, man-made medicine is simply not good enough. Our bodies were perfectly created by God and when one thing goes wrong, it can be devastating.

Annie Sullivan, a precious little girl who had been struck severely by Addison's around three years old had never been able to recover fully and in spite of her mother's heroic efforts to do everything humanly possible to save her daughter and to promote a fulfilled life, it was a long-fought battle. Sadly, yesterday little Annie succumbed to the many complications she had been fighting during her short life.

So much beauty in life that the eye cannot capture.

Jean wrote so many eloquent entries to keep us all posted on the trials and triumphs that they faced with Annie. Jean's family, friends, and a tight-knit Addison's community...all maintained regular prayers and well wishes for Annie and we learned from every post that Jean wrote. In fact, Jean taught me a lot about caring for a child with a disability, so many practical aspects she covered with the words of a mother that only experience can teach. I must say that Jean wrote about each hurdle with realness and honesty, her words touched your very soul.

Yesterday, little Annie went to be with the Lord. As I wrote to Jean today, I've been impressed by this mother's ability to face Goliath over and over; she never backed down. Jean was a mom who continued to fight the good fight for her daughter; she has always been the kind of warrior of love that the Lord instilled in each of us, but not all of us are compelled to go into warrior-mode as Annie's mother has done for so long. We should all have mothers who are cut from this cloth.

To Annie...I know Jesus has you cradled in His ever-loving, tender arms and there is rest from your storm here on Earth. If only we had Heaven on Earth, we would all be fine and never need to look to Heaven, to a better day and to everlasting life. But, we are reminded that our time here on Earth is not perfect and that our bodies are failing each of us, sooner or later. For eternity, we have a Heavenly home-sweet-home of permanence. Annie is now finished with all pain and suffering; she is free and is blessed to be a child of the Lord, for her time here is complete. Those who are left behind will mourn and miss her presence, but the Lord gives us comfort in the fact that we all will eventually make our final journey from this temporary shelter. So, one day, the family will be reunited and the Heavens will rejoice in the healing that will be taking place for this strong mother - for Annie's father - for the entire family - they will be whole again and the battles will be finished forever. Til then, may the Lord send reminders of His beautiful bridge of love.

Lord, I pray that You be with Annie's mother and father, be with her entire family and soothe their heartache and send gentle reminders of how each of their lives must be lived to the fullest in honor of Annie, until the time they can all bask in God's glory together forever with joy.