Courage…

Our girls have to be strong. They have to do hard and scary things to keep their hearts healthy, and they have no choice about having to be brave through painful, frightening experiences. And they rock it in a way that I am not sure I could…

There is an organization called beads of courage that serve these little heart warriors, and our girls, especially Little M, LOVE getting these beads…

Each bead is made of glass, and all the beads are beautiful.

They are a rainbow of colors, and each color stands for something. Yellow beads are for every overnight stay in the hospital, there are black beads for every needle poke, there are glow in the dark beads for x-rays and sonograms, and there are beautiful big glass heart beads for each heart surgery.

Tiny P has had more surgeries and hospital stays, so her string of beads is longer… little M is already planning which heart bead she will choose for her next surgery, and how much longer her necklace will be. I know. Bless it.

We are grateful for these beads, and the fact that our girls love them, and the story they tell.

There is a story in these necklaces, and it is a story of courage…

A beautiful story of our beautiful, courageous girls.