Three Individuals

I just spent the last 4 days with my life long friend and sister - Joanie.  I also spent those 4 days with my wonderful nephews, Mike and Derrick. As some of you know my nephews have Duchenes Muscular Dystrophy and although this disease is fatal and rendered them unable to care for themselves I have never seen them as anything more than my nephews and neither have my kids.

These three individuals have been some of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Despite their lot in life they have more joy and strength than most people I know with far less challenges.

Over the last 25 years I have watched my sister evolve into an amazing mother , wife, friend and family member. I have been inspired by her strength and courage but mostly by her joyous spirit, all of which she passed on to her boys. 

Given the hand that she had been dealt she could have easily become a bitter and angry person, especially toward God, but that has never been the case. I am sure she has had moments when she questioned why but whatever the answer was she did not falter in the call on her life to be the  mother to these beautiful people she calls sons.

I am not sure she will ever know how her life has been a constant encouragement for me or how her strength inspires ,or how her joy makes the world a brighter place. I do hope she knows and feels the love and admiration that her sons have for her and how grateful they are that God blessed them with someone like her to travel this road with them. Joanie is as much their champions as they are hers, God gave them everything they needed in each other to become the people they are today,  and for us, a living testimony of how God can take any situation and make something beautiful out of it.

I am a better person knowing these three individuals and I hope I have been as much a blessing to them as they have been to me. I am so thankful that my kids have spent their lives knowing these three amazing people.