rosemary and remembrance...

things are green again. the air smells like earth, life. it's a season to grow things.

i picked up this lovely rosemary plant today. rosemary is a symbol of remembrance. it has a beautiful fragrance and i know it will make savory spring dishes. and every time i use some i will remember how much mike and i loved to garden, to visit the farmer's market, grill fresh veggies and sit on our front porch.

happy earth day...

dewey...

as i try to reconstruct my life, figuring out "who am i?", there are a few things that remain true. one of those is that i am an aunt and i ADORE my three nephews and lil' sassy niece. today is drew's ("dewey" to us) fifth birthday. i remember when we were making plans to move back to grand rapids from seattle he arrived. i remember that mike was jealous that i got to meet drew first cause i was in grand rapids for a job interview.

what i love about drew is that he's imaginative, he'll "hunt" for birds with me, and our dance parties. he's silly, loves to play dress-up, and gives great hugs. and when he smiles, well, you're done! i asked him if he would stay this age, not grow up. but he informed me "aunt kelly, i'm turning five. i want to get big so i can go to school." okay dewey...

drew is probably too young to have a lasting memory of his uncle kiki...he will only know him through pictures and our stories. another layer of my grief.

but i will love on drew for the both of us...having these amazing kids in my life is one of the gifts i received in marrying into the powers family.

so happy birthday dewey!

hoping for tomorrow...

I've mentioned my friends the McNeils before...they are college friends who are facing their own laments as their two children battle MPS IIIA / Sanfilippo Sydrome.

They've been an encouragement to me, extending strength and grace as I sit in my loss. We're both trying to find moments of hope, grateful for days that bring glimpses of joy.

Here's one of those moments...a video of their daughter Waverly singing "Tomorrow"

If you want to learn more about their story and how you can offer your support you can check out their blog http://familymctravels.blogspot.com and http://www.ahundredforahome.com