Thank you

Well folks.... I promised you that if you sent photos of you wearing RED to support #redforjosh that I would show you the final product! Here it is! Thanks to a wonderful woman that I just met last month who offered to put it all together for me! This whole project, started on the day of Josh's catheterization, and ending in time for us to have a large poster for his room at Sick Kids to show him how many people are praying has been one of the greatest shows of support I have seen in my life. We have been so touched by each and everyone of you who sent a photo and message of love, faith and encouragement. CHD is not fun, but watching people band together to show a little boy that he's loved has been a really beautiful thing. In my wildest dreams I didn't know it would get as big as it did... 36X40 will be the size of his poster. It's something he will have for the rest of his life as a reminder that the power of prayer is a strong force against anything you may face. It stands to remind me as well, about how blessed we are to know so many loving people. The part I have found so unreal is the amount of photos we got from people I have never met, people who heard about Josh and this project through twitter, through friends of friends, and through this blog and facebook and took time out of their busy lives to throw on a red shirt, and snap a pic. Through the lens of motherhood is the title of this blog, but perhaps it should be changed to 'through the lens of love' because that is what I am being taught about on a daily level. The love I have for my kids, the love I have for my husband, my family but also the love that God has for me, the love that so many hundreds of people have for us as a family. Life gets tough and it's very easy to slip into obscurity, feel alone and isolated but you have never let me do that, you have all been a constant source of hope, love and faith. Thank you. We have always known Josh's story could shape our lives, I just didn't realize how much.

For those looking for an update... Josh will head into surgery on the first of August due to scheduling changes (Our surgeon has been away dealing with family matters). That too is something that comes with blessings all over it, because some people have been delayed weeks or even months. To only be bumped by a day is a huge relief given how fast Joshua is declining. Just yesterday I took the boys for a walk to the park, but the walk (only one block) made him too tired to even play once we got there. He just sat on a rock beside me and watched Kaleb play.

Once again; thank you for meeting us in our time of trial and doing all the amazing things that you have done. The letters, the gifts, the emails and of course... these precious photos. You will all be remembered for many years to come.

Laurie