Happy 1st Birthday Hezekiah

Today we celebrated Hezekiah's 1st birthday. It is hard to believe it has been a year already, the time has flown right by. I know at this time a year ago I was so excited to be holding my son, amazed at how perfect he was. I was so happy he was alive and with us.

We decided we will celebrate Hezekiah's birthday every year. There will not be a memorial on this day just a birthday party. The reason for this is how we see Hezekiah and what we believe about eternity. Hezekiah is alive and that fact is what gives us the hope to go on. We want to celebrate every year the precious son and brother that God placed in our lives. I was chosen to be Hezekiah's mommy, to carry him in my womb and care for him while he was on this earth. Ken was chosen as his daddy to care and love him as well on this earth. Hannah, Elijah, Solomon, Naomi, Esther, and Ruth were chosen to be his brothers and sisters and none of this was a mistake. Infact it has been planned for before we even knew. Of course, Hezekiah's birthday parties will be different because he is not physically here but we still rejoice in his birth day!

This afternoon we took a wooden cross we made for Hezekiahs grave marker until we decide what to get permanetly put in. Ken parked further up so I had to carry the white cross to his grave site. It was not heavy but as I carried it back the lane I started to cry. Ken met me about half way and took the wooden cross from me. He put his arm around me and I said to him "this is the cross God wants us to carry." We finished the walk back silently. We decided where to put it and I left with the children to get some balloons. When we arrived back Ken was finished digging the hole and had everything in it's place.

Once everyone was out of course there were tears all around. We started by each releasing a balloon for Hezekiah with the children attaching a letter to him. It was cold so we moved things along quickly. We then proceeded to read a letter and open a gift left by Rodney, Janae, and Aliya (who is in heaven). It was so precious and we loved their thoughtfullness. Then we lit a candle and tried to sing happy birthday. It was almost impossible because at that point we were all sobbing. After our failed attempt Elijah blowed out the candle and we placed a stuffed bear and a jingle bell from each child. We held hands, prayed, and cried some more. Oh how we miss Hezekiah.

We then headed home and after some supper we lit some cupcakes lovingly provided by Paula. Again we were blessed with such love shown to Hezekiah and us. We enjoyed eating the cupcakes with some Happy Birthday plates Wendy provided. We spent the evening relaxing and preparing for "Hezekiah day" on January 9th which will be a memorial for him. I will write more about that later.

I also was blessed by several phone calls and facebook messages in regards to Hezekiah's birthday. There is no way to possibly express how thankful we are to those who remember Hezekiah and make the time to let us know. It helps us in the process of healing!

Esther and Hezekiah share a birthday. Esther turned 6 and is absolutely delighted that she shares a birthday with Hezekiah. We are so thankful for these 2 precious blessings God gave to us!