Ode to Kim

well...not really an ode...but a post dedicated to my (new-ish) friend Kim.

After we found out about Joshua's heart defect, I jumped on every blog, discussion group, yahoo group, and forum I could possibly find. Some were great, others I have since gotten out of. But one group, on babycenter.com was a true God send. God literally wove stories together and provided us with support when we desperately needed it.

After our diagnosis, I posted a thread introducing myself on the babycenter forum. I asked for any and all information I could possibly receive. The next day, I saw that I had a personal message from someone. I opened it up and it was from a woman who was at St. Vincent who's son has HLHS and had just gone through the first surgery. She told me to contact her anytime with any questions I had. I quickly contacted her and we quickly became "internet" friends.

We told her that we were coming to Indianapolis for our next echo and she asked if we would like to meet with her and see her son. We, of course, said yes.

Little did I know that Kim was going to become on of my biggest sources of strength, comfort, and encouragement outside of God and my husband. She sent me pictures of her son to show me how wonderfully he was doing. She kept the excitement of the pregnancy going by sending me texts with words of encouragement. She told me how excited she was to meet Joshua. Those little things were so good for my soul.

When we finally got to see her son, our whole outlook on the HLHS diagnosis turned around. We felt hope and joy like you would never believe. God placed her in our lives at just the right moment, knowing what we would need, when we needed it. It was no coincidence that our paths crossed and she and her family became important characters in our story.

Kim and I have lunch every Tuesday and Thursday. We send texts almost daily. I think about her and her son probably just as much as she thinks about us. A beautiful new friendship has grown from such an ugly situation.

Today at lunch, we were talking about our families, sharing funny stories about bad haircuts and things that our kids do that make us laugh. We also talked about G-tubes, insurance issues, and other heart related issues. Throughout the entire conversation, I caught myself silently thanking God for bringing Kim to me. I thanked him for her heart, for her family, and for her son. I found myself truly relaxed and refreshed after my time with her, knowing that I have a friend who knows exactly what I'm going through.

So Kim, I know you read here. I just want you to know how truly thankful I am for you. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I can't wait to see how our boys will grow and learn and hopefully become friends. I pray that they can be a source of strength to each other like you have been to me. Your friendship means more to me than you probably know. Thank you for taking time out of your days to text me, answer my questions, and just listen. I thank God for you daily.

To read more about Kim and her son, please visit their caringbridge site by clicking here.