DiRN's Journal

As most of you know, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died last week. Many of you know of Farah, EVERYBODY knows Michael Jackson, It's all over the news, yada, yada, yada

There was a third death last week - Ethin RaiLuc Twigg, Age 5 and 1/2 months old. Ethin was one of our hlhs kids, kind of like Kylie. First surgery, the Norwood, went great, but they had to do the 2nd surgery, the Hemi-Fontan about 6 weeks too soon. He survived four open heart surgeries in less than four weeks. He was recuperating well. He had withdrawn from the narcotics and sedatives given to him for his pain. He was about a week from going home when something happened Saturday morning. Possibly he threw a blood clot, but I got a call from Ron saying that Ethin was coding and they were on the way up to Ann ARbor. His mom was at a benefit in her home town 4 hours away to earn money to help pay for his medical expenses. Some of the other "Heart Moms" had been watching over him. He was pronounced less than 1/2 hour later.

Nobody knew Ethin except those of us who loved him and prayed for him. When I listen to the news banter back and forth about Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, what great losses they were... On a gut level, I want to puke! Ethin brought thousands of people together to pray. I am sorry about Farah Fawcett, She didn't ask to get liver cancer. But come on, folks, people are dying due to prescription medication, especially oxy, addiction every day. Ethin didn't do anything but fight his little 1/2 of a heart out to survive.

Aubrey told me that after his mom returned to the hospital, she asked if she could take him outside. See, he had been sick most of the spring and he never felt the sun on his skin. He was only 5  months old... he had never experienced being outdoors except for running from door to door in his car seat. They let her and She went to the play yard on the eighth floor and Ethin had his time in the sun.

Now I know he is playing in sunshine much purer than that available here in this world. In the Heart Family, we don't refer to our kids as dying, they get their wings. We know that they are gifts sent to us from heaven and to heaven they return. It is just so hard though...why does God give us this long string of miracles then boom, take the gift away? I know he knows why, I just wish he would clue me in sometimes. Maybe I could do a better job in his service, if I only had a clue.

I went to a very nice cookout and Mark and Beth's last night, a pot luck with a lot of my church friends. Ron and Aubrey and Kylie were there. I had been up over 24 hours and was really tired but the evening sun was bright and the breeze was cool and I stayed and played stupid games with Kylie. "Gonna eat your fingers, num, num, num," went on for at least 20 minutes. And she laughed and I laughed and we enjoyed the sunshine. Please God, don't take this little miracle away