Hello, Norah.

September was hard, sweetheart. The six month marker carried more weight than either of us ever expected.

But evidently, this wasn't news to you or God.

This past month you gave us rest — not rest as in an empty calendar, but rest that refreshes the soul. You allowed us to breathe a little deeper and laugh a little harder, if only for a moment. You allowed us to live with less distraction exactly when we needed it. You filled our month with rest in ways uniquely tailored to your daddy and I as individuals, but also for us together.

You put us on the water. Because of you, your daddy and I have found a shared hobby (which is like finding a unicorn): Kayaking. We first tried kayaking during our stay at Faith's Lodge and immediately fell in love with it. Both your daddy and I feel closest to you and to God when we're in nature. Being able to leave the insanity of the city for a day and breathe the fresh air while traveling down the river with friends was exactly what we both needed.

But we weren't just there with friends, you were there too. You met us on the island and made us laugh and smile with your big yellow butterfly that danced around me and even posed for a picture. (There are three colors associated with Trisomy 13 – pink for love, green for life, and yellow for joy. Yellow reminds me of you the most so, my love, this was perfect)  

You took my phone. While we were kayaking, my phone ended up having a nice long soak in a not-so-waterproof waterproof compartment, and you know what? It was awesome. I had no idea just how badly I needed a break from social media, from being eternally accessible, from being addicted to a device that should be used as a tool. The week without my phone was glorious and if it wasn't for us traveling, I probably would've waited even longer to replace it. Thank you, sweetheart, for the reset I didn't even know I needed.

You took us out of state. This month we went to Topeka, KS for a drag race competition. Not only did you physically remove us from our responsibilities at home, you surrounded us by great friends and allowed your daddy to do what he loves – go fast and have fun. Every evening we watched as you painted the vast Kansas skies vibrant, fiery hues that were almost as beautiful as you. You wouldn't think that a weekend of racing could count as a vacation, with mornings starting at 8am and nights going well past 1am fixing cars and having fun, but love, it was the perfect getaway.

September was hard, but it was also an incredible reminder that God knows what we need better than we do. You and God are right there with us, sweetheart, even on the hardest days. It is only through Him, with the help of a certain fierce little angel, that we are given these moments of rest.

Thank you, Norah.
Thank you, God.