Your voice may be silent
but you speak volumes
Your signs may be limited to an arm's length list
but your eyes and soul bear the depth of your vocabulary
You work tirelessly for each expressive sign you learn
and yet your expression of love is effortless
Your love and your life, my sweet girl, is anything but silent
it is the loudest quiet I know
On Wednesday, I spent an obscene amount of time trying to iron out Gracie's Medi-Cal transfer from our old county to the new one (this has turned out to be a nightmare). During the end of a phonecall in the late afternoon, the kids played quietly and I stepped into the kitchen to lean on the counter and make some notes. Suddenly, I noticed how quiet my house was... and I peeked over the counter to find Preston fast asleep. He just dropped right where they were playing! He was not alone in his slumber, as his sister was lovingly playing with him... and he didn't have a clue! I, of course, did what I always do and grabbed my camera. I took video and pictures and knew immediately that it would be part of "Foto Friday." What I didn't know is how it would end up taking on a little life of it's own.
The last five nights (six counting Thursday!) have been sleepless in this house. Miss Gracie has been on a night party kick... waking somewhere around 1am and wanting to play until 5 or 6am. She does go back to sleep for a little nap, JUST as her sweet brother is waking up. Loads of fun!
Sometimes - - and Wednesday was one such occasion - - I will bring the laptop into her room and we will watch slideshows of our pictures. And while I'd much rather be sleeping, it is so much fun for both of us. As we watched a slideshow of older pics late Wednesday (actually early Thursday), I couldn't help but notice the thread that weaves so many images together. It's the look of love spoken through Gracie's heart, eyes and soul.
10 comments:
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! Can you say make sure you have a box of tissue when you watch and read what you just did. That was amazing! I LOVED IT!! Gracie is so precious, so sweet, so loving, so amazing! I sure hope I can meet that little girl (and your family) someday.
Sorry for the sleepless nights! I am right there with you (just not as much).
As I watched that I cried my eyes out that was just beautiful!!! I am still wiping tears from my eyes. WOW you can so see the love in her eyes and what beautiful eyes she has. She is just the sweetest little girl, I still can not stop crying and I am out of tissue...LOL!
I hope we can meet one day also Eva and Gracie would just stare at each other, I see so much of Eva in Gracie its just lovely.
Hugs,
Crystal and Eva
PS that baby shrek shirt she had on in one of the pictures, Eva has the same shirt, I thought it was so cute I had to get it for her.
I also hope you get some sleep soon.
Oh, Kristi, that was just beautiful! I'm draining the Kleenex box as I write this! It's been one of "those" weeks for me, where I've known I needed a good breakdown and cry just to get back to my old self, and these pictures finally let all that pour out of me. Thank you for sharing these sweet, intimate pictures of Gracie.
I often think having a nonverbal child is one of the most challenging pieces of CHARGE to deal with, at least to me. It's so hard for me not to be able share my world with Katie through words, music, etc., or have her tell me how her day was at school. That's the one piece of grief I still haven't been able to quite let go of. But Katie is the same way with her looks, her touch--she can tell me a thousand words with just her eyes and her expressions. I know I have a bond with her that only we know the "code" for. For that, I'm always amazed and so grateful.
Absolutely beautiful! I can't stop crying. I miss her so much it hurts. Please give her a hug and kiss for me. She is so blessed to have you.
your killin me woman, Ellie wants to now why im crying. that was beautiful. Gracie has been such a blessing. thank you for sharing with us. wow.....really.......wow.
love kathy
absolutely lovely to read and see!
Kristi, thank you so much for sharing that! Your mom warned me not to look at it at work, but did I listen? OF COURSE NOT! That was so sweet to watch and as much as it brought tears streaming down my face it brought a smile to my face and brightened my day.
Dearest Kristi, Vivian and I watched your video this morning before having to rush out of the house. Tears started quickly, and by the end of your beautiful montage, I was (quite frankly) sobbing. My sobs were the best kind - the kind where my heart is so full of love I think it might burst.
The love, understanding and soulfulness in Gracie shines, and it inspires me. Again and again, over and over, being on this path continues to make more and more sense to me. I cannot even imagine life without the friendship of "The Flock."
(Give Gracie a hug for me, please! I just adore your sweet girl!)
I love your video! So sweet and Gracie's cheeks remind me of Ben's :)
Oh my goodness, Kristi...I couldn't step away to grab the kleenex, so I just used my shirt! Gracie is such a blessing and the love that her and her brother share is a true testimony of God's love! Gracelyn and Preston are so amazing...thank you so much for sharing just a piece of it with us. Love ya, Shantell
ps...I'm still crying...
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