Time for a Milestone: 2 years

PSALM 118:24 "Today is the Day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Sweet boy, as I've learned in our journey there are no rules, just surprises. To be honest, I woke up with a heavy heart today struggling with what to write on my Facebook status. I mean, how do I come up with a post that does justice to your precious life? The good news is that I didn't have to. As usual, when I can't God can and He sent someone to our rescue. Our dear friends Josh and Sharon posted a picture of one of your hats remembering your birthday and asking others to join in the virtual celebration; someone else remembered you too! and from then on birthday wishes, likes and messages of love just kept pouring. It was humbling to see. You shining with your own light! 2 years later.

You know that I'm kind of obsessed with numbers, one in particular... want to guess? Yes 11! to me is the best number in the whole world. Do you know how many messages you had on Facebook when you were born? You guessed again: 11! Jaw dropping 11 comments and 7 likes... Yikes! that was all. (A picture of my burnt Shepherd's Pie had more likes than the birth of my son...)  That may say a lot but not necessarily in a bad way. Please bear with me. In all honesty, your birth pictures were hard to see and to post: You were hooked to a ventilator, fighting hard for every breath... and me? unable to write anything at all. I just managed to write: "Zach is here" and that was that, my brain didn't allow me to do any better. To be honest if a friend of mine had posted the same pictures, the old me would've known what to say, probably I wouldn't have said anything at all. In all fairness people didn't do simple "likes", instead they went above and beyond and sent us letters in the mail, words of encouragement, food to the NICU, baby clothes, prayers, even phone calls! Since they didn't know what to say, our friends and family near and far figured out what to DO.

During this two years you brought a new world filled with fears, unanswered questions, tears and what ifs left and right, but to make sure that we could endure you also paved the way with flowers, prayers, candles, balloons, care packages, pay forward Starbucks, and my two favorites: convenient parking spaces and random acts of kindness from strangers. For that I rejoice and I'm grateful.

Yesterday, I was planning to get you flowers and also a HUGE balloon for your place, but I'm not going to lie, it was a tough day at work and I was tired, so I just got the flowers and said: Heck with it and went home. Well, Stephanie a friend of mine that I haven't met in person (yet) read my mind and bought a Gigantic Balloon with the number 2. She left it in your place at the cemetery today, so when we got there we had a nice surprise, and your place looks even better than what I could have done on my own. 

I'm proud of you son, I'm proud because you shine with your own light. It was after all a happy birthday.

11 Everywhere, you Everywhere, just as it should be.

It's indeed a Happy Birthday, with one of the many
 random acts of kindness that you continue to bring.
I'm proud of you son, and I'm really looking
forward to meet my new friend in person.