Today it has been exactly two weeks since the departure of darling Ava. She is now surely comfortable in her new home, and under the wonderful care of a God that loves her more than she can ever know. I am still so deeply affected by her tragedy, and will forever be changed because of it. Her brief but special time on this earth was so important in so many ways. She will always be remembered and cherished by so many people around the world. I still wish there was something more I could do other than pray that everything turns out alright.

Julia mentioned the other day on her blog that she misses Mark and Karla, and wonders how they are doing. I, too, really miss them and hope that everything is going alright. I so wish that I lived closer to Canada, or even just had some money for gas, so that I could go to them and give them a big hug, and just sit and listen for a while. I still feel like they are both really strong people, and will come out of this stronger and more ready for the world ahead. However, I'm sure that's not how they feel right now, and that's totally understandable. So, if you happen to read this, McGrandma, please let us know how Karla and Mark are doing. I really, really miss them, and I would love to know if they are okay.
Also, if you are reading this, please continue to pray for them, as this is quite possibly one of the hardest things that could happen to someone, or so I think.

Just on a quick good note, I wanted to tell you this little story. We went to the other side of Columbia today on an adventure just to see what it's like over there. We ended up going to Columbia Mall to check it out. Trey had promised TJ he would take him to the candy store, and we went in and got a few pieces of gummy candy for him. The total came up to $1.17, and I realized I didn't have any cash, so I tried to pay with a debit card. The guy said they don't take cards. I was trying to figure out how to pay, or tell TJ that he couldn't have the candy (and anyone should know how hard that would have been!), and the guy who worked there said, "Hey, I've got it. You guys have a nice day." I didn't want to take his money, but I also didn't want to tell TJ he couldn't have his candy. So I accepted, with tons of thank you's and smiles and some more thank you's. TJ told him thank you, too. Wasn't that just SO sweet! It always makes me happy to know that there are still nice people out in the world. Yes, this seems like not such a big deal, but to me it is. Anyway, it totally touched my heart, and I'm glad God knows who I'm talking about, b/c I immediately prayed that something great would happen to that guy to pay him back for his generosity!

Alrighty then, I hope you all have a good day, and I will talk to you again soon. Please keep Ava and her parents in your heart. I know almost as much about her journey as I do my own child-to-be, and I can honestly say that I will never forget her. I just know that if she has her mom's humor, she will be cracking people up in Heaven forever and ever!