Dear Grace,

Dear Gracie Girl,
Two years ago today you became very sick. Life stopped, pain started, moments became monumental. Two years ago today, I cared a lot about different things, maybe even unimportant things. But, todayI feel different inside about life. We have you to thank for that. Thank you for helping us to see with fresher sets of eyes, more serviceable hands, and more charitable hearts. Thank you for helping us see God in all the little details, mundane and grand, and for helping us see the purest things in life. We are sorry that you ever have to hurt, Grace. We are sorry that you have had to learn to trust through such hard methods, that you know worries that are grown up ones, and that you often tell us you feel different from everybody else. But, Grace...one of the best things about you is that you are different in all the important ways. Two years ago, I"ll bet you didn't know how very strong you are-that you can do anything you set your mind to, and that you can do it kindly, meekly, and with fervor too. Two years ago we were a close family. Today, we are closer. Two years ago we hustled and bustled through life, checking off milestones-making sure deadlines were met. Today, we still celebrate milestones. But, the grandest milestones we ever meet are the tender little moments spent with you and your siblings. Thank you for making it possible for us to recognize that.
A little less than two years ago, I sat holding you as you slept-taking in the smell of you and trying to memorize the smell of your hair before it left your precious head. I remember how deeply your breath fell on the pillow and how pale your skin looked from the moonlight streaking in the window of my room. I remember pieces of hair falling easily from your head. I remember thinking that night that God couldn't take you from this world because you were too important a fixture in our lives and that I knew we wouldn't make it through that. Dad and I wouldn't take back one single second we are allowed with you, or any of our little ones. Each moment is a blessing-even and perhaps most especially the moment where you had a boy named A.J. over for a playdate and you told me you locked him in your closet so you could kiss him. My first thought after that was, "where was I" and my second was that you are bundles of fun and I can't wait to watch every moment of your life unfold.
Here we are today, Grace. We are two years into your fight against Cancer with just a few months to go. We hope so many things for you and your siblings, Gracie. I hope two years from now you still play Barbies. I hope two years from that time, you will not be begging me for a cell phone. I hope two years from that you see your teenage years begin with tons of energy and without the possiblity of Cancer relapse. I hope that with each successive year, you have all the happiness you deserve and most importantly that you never forget what you've been through. I hope it brings you more faith and a keener knowlege that God directs your life. I hope one day, you will be a mother and you will see just what it means to love you as much as I do-and as your daddy does.
We love you. Thank you for being brave these two years. You have taught us so much.
Love,
Mom and Dad