Kisses from Heaven and a Christmas Miracle

December 8th, 2017 was a day that we won't soon forget in the south!  And neither will our northern friends either...trust me, if you had a friend in the south, you were seeing the posts all day of the snowfall that left us with memories we will cherish for a lifetime!  Matter of fact, chances of you getting a snowman Christmas card from them are pretty high!  Just sayin'!

This day granted us a long awaited Christmas miracle of the white stuff straight from the heavens...snow!  Snow fell down and we all got giddy and joyful...we laughed like the good ole' days when life wasn't so difficult...everyone was smiling and happy!  It was almost a non-belief, kind of, state of shock...I believe we were all in it!  It was heavenly and magical!  It was needed!

This day will always provide incredible family memories for so many of us in the south...but for this southern mama, this day also holds a most sacred memory for me...keep reading...I'll get to it, bear with me...

The day began with quite a bit of sleet, so much here at our home that we kept Will home first thing that morning and brought him into school a little bit late.  I had volunteered to work the teacher duty-free lunch so I headed to school too.  Well, while I was in the lunchroom, my mom and sister both let me know it was snowing at our house!  I looked at my little Will and knew what I had to do!  Lunch could not get over fast enough! 

After lunch, I checked him out and we headed toward home anticipating the white stuff!  He was so smiley on the way home and I got so tickled hearing the excitement in his little voice!  We sang Christmas carols and high-fived the closer we got!  Then, there it was!  Snow!  We pulled over into a parking lot and he jumped out to catch snowflakes on his tongue!  It was straight out of a Hallmark movie!  But it was better!  I couldn't contain my mama heart!  I couldn't keep my eyes off of his smile!  It was amazing!

We got back in the car and drove a few more miles into our driveway where my sister was waiting with open arms and snow falling from the sky!  The moment we hit our hill and saw the snow that began to cover our house and property was one full of wonder!  And it just kept getting better and better!

We played!  We ate snow!  We laughed!

We kept throwing gloves in the dryer...(Hey, we are southern, no snow gloves here!)

 My mama and sister came over to share in the memory making and the snow fun too!  In the meantime, Will called his daddy over and over letting him know the magic that was taking place at our home!  The excitement of his big brother, Nathan, coming home from school was building!  He couldn't wait to play in the snow with Nathan and his daddy!

We had fun, of course, but he wanted bigger targets!  LOL!  

When Nathan got  home, he picked Will up and spun him around and he said "Time for a brother snowball fight!  I wish Matthew was here too!"

At that moment, Will got out of his brothers arms and looked up at Nathan and said "If Matthew was here, I wouldn't be here...you wouldn't have me."  

My heart broke!  Nathan quickly responded and loved on him and picked him back up.  He said "You were God's will for us little brother...we were always going to have you."  Will smiled...and they hugged again...off they went!  

My mama heart stayed in that moment long after they left it...there's a lot of weight that comes along with knowing your child has even thought that...but reality is, he has.  Big mama sigh...

I could go on, but that's for another day...another time...I'm going to come to a close for now...

Throughout every smile, every laugh, every single memory made on this day, that one line that came straight from Will's heart left me speechless...

Ronnie and I talked about what he said...the next day, when we went to the cemetery, we talked to Will...in depth. We told him God created him for us...for our family.  He was chosen for us and to be ours.  He was ordained by God for us.  

He smiled again and told us he knew that...we always want to reassure him about where he belongs and has always belonged, with us.  He was made for us...to complete us...he is our JOY, our restoration...he is our miracle!

This is a photo I took of Will as soon as we got  home from school and I said to him "you are getting kisses from heaven..."

And I believe that with all of my heart!

At that moment, I knew this would be one of my favorite photos of the day and when attaching it to the rest of the story...I know why!

Thank you Lord for the "kisses from heaven!"  Thank you Lord for our three sons and the brotherly love they have for each other...thank you Lord for our Christmas miracle!

There's something about standing at your son's gravesite with "God's Will" standing right beside you...

Signing off, 

Grateful, Sappy, Southern Mama