Eternally Grateful

My goal this week is to start working on thank you notes for everyone who has been so kind to us during Jake's surgery. The words "thank you" seem so inadequate though to describe the enormous gratitude we have in our hearts. We have been blessed. We've been blessed by our incredible family who have called, visited, and sacrificed to take care of us and to love us. We've been blessed by a church family who has brought meals, prayed over us, called, written cards, and taken care of our Grace. We've been blessed with friends here in Houston and all over the country and really world who have been in prayer over Jake and have done so many thoughtful things for us. We've been blessed by people we don't even know who have prayed for our Jake.

So many have told us that their churches are praying for Jake....I've heard stories about strangers praying for him:

*My friend Misty was checking out at the Disney store while buying a gift for Jake and the cashier told her she would pray for Jake.

*Jake's teachers were buying flowers and balloons at the grocery store for Jake and they wanted a big sunshine balloon. The worker told her it was just for display, but Nedra told her Jake's story and soon the balloon was his. The worker also told her she would pray for Jake.

*Ty's co-worker's uncle in New Jersey is a Catholic priest who prayed for Jake at his Mass.

*My two year old nephew, Nash, wore his prayer bracelet everyday for Jake. His teacher at mother's day out noticed it and now she and her friends/co-workers are praying.

The list goes on and on...but we are just so humbled and touched by these stories and so many others.

We know God is taking care of Jake. He took care of him during surgery and after surgery when we had the horrible scare with the SVT. He's taking care of him now. Honestly, at some times during these past couple of months, it has been hard for me to personally pray. I've been exhausted and overwhelmed with emotion but knowing that others are lifting us up has carried me through. I know Jake is God's child who Ty and I have been trusted with here on earth. This truth has helped me so much. It will continue to be true as Jake battles this CHD.

So, I guess the words "thank you" will just have to do as we try to express our gratitude. Know that we truly mean those words.