Sweet HEART :)

For those of you that have ever read the "About Me" section of this blog site (you can access it HERE)
You will know that I'm the oldest of 4 children and that I have 2 sisters and 1 brother.  My sister, Sarah, of whom I am 7 years older, died when I was in college.

I remember the day she was born...I remember that fear I felt at her first open heart surgery at age 1 and then again almost 10 years later as an unexpected symptom occurred...

and then again, a few more years later, as she was getting ready to enter high school and I,  as a 20 year old looking to finish up college, lay in a hospital bed together as we laughed and watched Little Women on the hospital's TV cart waiting for a heart to become available for her...

I will be vulnerable here and tell you that I still get a bit shaken whenever I need to be in at a hospital...even for joyful times such as births or getting a cast off...but, I think the memories will always linger because I'm so connected to the emotion of those long ago moments.

Medicine has come so very far since then...She'd be in her 30s now and I'm fairly confident that times being what they are now, we may have had a different outcome...

I remember her bravery, her courage...I remember it in my mom and my siblings too...it affects the entire family when you have to face something like that.

This sweet family has a completely different heart issue to deal with...but the courage needed hasn't changed.

I was unbelievably honored to be able to capture some family memories for them before their little girl needed to head into surgery again.  

 Sisterly love...Family togetherness...when it all comes down to it...it's about relationships...it's about investing in others with the time you are given...

Praying for safe surgery and many, many more years to make memories together for this amazing family!!!