Invite the good

My little girl,

When I think of this past weekend, I think of this quote that came to me soon after I wrote your last letter:

There is so much truth in it.

With all the struggle & hardship that comes in our lives, we should not only welcome the good- we should invite it in. Because we so badly need it.

Specially in grief.

Even if only in moments & spurts. And let yourself revel in it, for as long as you can.
...

I kept this in mind this weekend as we were cheering Uncle Danny on the sidelines, while he was running his 26 miles of the Marine Corp Marathon.

As we were watching all the runners from different ages, backgrounds & races, so much inspiration & admiration filled my heart.

In the beginning, they had the disabled participants racing with hand cycles & it was so uplifting to watch baby girl. They were ex wounded vets, disabled children, being pushed by other runners...

It made me realize the will of the human spirit & how amazing it can be, if only we let it. If we just try & go for it, work towards a goal & aim to achieve something.

I thought of how easy it would be for them to give up & sink into that black hole, yet they do the exact opposite & fly.

Disabled participants

I thought to myself as I was standing there, that if they can overcome such hardship & still soar, maybe we can too. And it would be worth it. Even if for that short moment, for that one day we can really feel alive again, closer to God, closer to the Universe.
...

The whole event was really positive & inspirational my angel, from the people, to the marines, the planning of the event, but nothing filled my heart more than when I first saw him with his Hailey's Angels shirt. <3

It was at the 10 mile mark, shown above. We waited for him with our signs & were cheering him on loud & clear.

I ordered the shirt for him online but didn't see it until that moment & it filled my heart instantly.

We were waiting for him there with some Advil & water. :)

My Angel. Hailey's Angels <3

...

These are the shirts we wore. <3

<3

Missing Jaylen :(

Uncle Danny said that some people were cheering him on yelling, "Go Hailey's Angels!" and every time he needed a push, he gently patted his chest & was able to go on. <3

He finished it baby girl, which was awesome because he had been having problems with his feet & legs weeks before. It got really bad to where we didn't know if he was going to go through with it. But he did it. :)

We did a lot of walking, it was cold & we were tired towards the end- but it was all worth it.

We thanked him more than once for letting us be a part of it, for doing it in your honor, for lifting us up.

His response:

It wasn't just me. He patted his chest, his shirt with your face & said:

"It was us." <3
...

We love you so much baby girl.

I know you know, but every time we get a chance to show you, I picture your big beautiful smile & it brings so much happiness.

And tears.

We miss you my mouse.

Always & forever,
Your mommy <3

<3