Once again, I'm reminded of my Baxter...

It's Sunday night and my girls are getting ready for bed. Michael's vacuuming and I'm in the den working. Well, sort of. I was more "on-line" trying to bid on a cricut - a scrapbooking thing. Anyway, I decided to check my e-mails and I got one titled "a poem to share" from Valerie. I knew it was going to be a good one, so I opened it. I begin to read the first 6 lines and stopped. I felt that Michael needed to "hear" this one, so I yelled at him to stop vacuuming so he can listen as I read it out loud . He came in the den and stood next to me. Halfway through the poem, my voice started to crack and I began to cry. I'm so glad that I called my husband to "listen and read" the poem with me.

Poem from a "Heart Mom"

You passed me in the shopping mall...(You read my faded tee)
You tapped me on the shoulder...Then asked..."What's a CHD?"
I could quote terminology...There's stats that I could give...
But I would rather share with you...A mother's perspective.
What is it like to have a child with a CHD?
It's lasix, aspirin, captopril....
It's wondering...Lord what's your will?...
It's monitors and oxygen tanks...
It's a constant reminder...to always give thanks...
It's feeding time, calories, needed weight gain...
It's the drama of eating...and yes it's insane!
It's the first time I held him...(I'd waited so long)
It's knowing that I need...to help him grow strong...
It's making a hospital...home for a while...
It's seeing my reward...in every smile.
It's checking his stats...as the monitors are beeping...
It's knowing that there... is just no time for sleeping...
It's caths, x-rays and boo boos to kiss...
It's normalcy...I sometimes miss...
It's asking...does his lips look blue?
It's cringing inside... at what he's been through.
It's dozens of calls to her pediatrician...

(he knows me by name...I'm a mom on a mission).
It's winters homebound...and hand sanitizer...
It's knowing this journey...has made me much wiser.
It's watching him sleeping...his breathing is steady...
It's surgery day...and I'll never be ready.
It's handing him over...( I'm still not prepared...)
It's knowing that his heart... must be repaired...
It's waiting for news...on that long stressful day...
It's ...praying...it's hoping...that he'll be okay.
It's the wonderful friends... with whom I've connected...
It's the bond that we share...it was so unexpected...
It's that long faded scar... down my child's small chest...
It's touching it gently...and knowing we're blessed...
It's watching him chasing...a small butterfly...
It's the moment I realized...I've stopped asking...why?
It's the snowflakes that fall...on a cold winter's day...

(They remind me of those...who aren't with us today)
It's a brave little girl...who loved her sweet Pinky...

Or a special heart bear...or her beloved little binky....
It's the need to remember...we're all in this plight....
It's their lives that remind us... we still need to fight!
It's in pushing ahead amidst every sorrow...
It is finding the strength to have hope for tomorrow.

I'm not sure who wrote the poem, but it sure is nice... also, I changed the "she and her" to "he and him"......because of Baxter. Thanks for reading!