Elijah Seth,
It is hard to believe that you are four years old. For four years, you have been such a bright light in our lives and we are so grateful.
In celebration, our family visited the Moxi museum in Santa Barbara and we had a wonderful time.❤️
I love this picture of you because it shows how inquisitive you are. It amazes me that you can still look at the world with such wonder and joy, especially given the way your four years have gone.
I am also amazed by your courage. Despite such difficult circumstances, you still trust Daddy and I. You don’t doubt our love for you even when things just aren’t fair. I can’t even count how many times you’ve been under anesthesia in the last four years, or how many times you’ve been poked, or how many times you’ve been on a plane, or how many doctors you see. But I can count how many times you have gone to a doctor’s appointment without daddy or me: NONE.
No matter how difficult it has been, we have always been with you.
Oh, how I wish I would trust my Heavenly Father this way. To remember that no matter how hard things get, He is always with me and never stops loving me.
I do think it is so cool, that God gave you an army to surround you, to fight with you in your battles. You are dearly loved by mommy and daddy, and siblings and cousins and grandparents and uncles and aunts, and so many more.
The other day when we were doing schoolwork, you put sounds together and read five words! (Granted, all of them ended with -at).☺️. I nearly cried, I was so excited! I don’t think it’s that I was any less excited for your siblings when they reached this milestone….
It’s just that everything with you feels a little miraculous. Having you, almost fours years after you were diagnosed with cancer is a miracle. After so many developmental delays, you talking and walking felt miraculous. After so many sensory issues, you playing with play-doh is miraculous. And for only having one eye, which has had tumors and treatment and scars and corrective lenses in your glasses….well, reading feels so miraculous.
Anyhow. What I am trying to say is that every day with you is a miracle. I pray that you would never stop seeing the world with such curiosity, courage, and hope. I pray that you would always know that you are loved.
We have lots of conversations–sometimes about prosthetic eyes, cancer, clear scans, New York and LA (“you know that Los Angeles is LA!”), and pokes and machines and all sorts of things that both break my momma heart and make it soar. Those are our special talks.
Today, on your birthday, I am so grateful for the miracle you are to our family. You have taught us so much. As we enjoyed the Moxi museum, I saw each of your siblings enjoy you, enjoy each other, and enjoy the amazing way God has created our world.
Today, I just want to enjoy every second of the amazing boy you are. Today, I am grateful for the miracle you are, and I hope that I’ll keep learning from you for years to come.
Happy birthday buddy boy.
Love,
Mommy
The Need for Hope 