Thankful

This morning I came in to read an email from a coworker of mine that nearly sent me to tears. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the little things in life that we forget what is truly important, what we should really be thankful for.

My coworker is the same age as me. She and her husband tried for years to conceive and when they were unsuccessful they went through a series of fertility treatments.  After learning that they were finally pregnant they were informed that they would be having twins. As you can imagine they were over joyed and announced the wonderful news to everyone. 

Things went smoothly with the pregnancy until her 20 week check up when the doctor noticed something wrong.  After multiple scans and tests the parents were informed that one of the twins had a rare disorder causing the internal organs to form outside of the body.  This disorder is extremely uncommon, and in all reported cases the child with the disorder does not survive.  I can't imagine how she felt when she learned that one of the babies she was carrying, was never going to have a chance at survival.

When I first met this girl she was just 24 weeks along.  She was bubbly, and happy and had such a refreshing attitude.  She was simply excited to finally be pregnant!  It wasn't until a few weeks later that I learned of her situation. When she told me what was going on I nearly cried, yet somehow she was so positive and thankful.  She never complained, she never wanted pity, she was just so incredibly strong. I absolutely admired her for that. This past Friday she went into preterm labor at just 31 weeks.

The email she sent today reads as follows:

Hello everyone,

First off, thank you for the flowers and gifts while I have been in the hospital. I delivered Friday at 230 am. Landon weighed in at 3 lb 11 oz and was 17 1/4 inches long. He is in the NICU and is doing very well. Aiden weighed in at 2 lb 11 oz and was 14 1/2 inches long. He lived a short 13 minutes. We got to spend some time with him. He was so precious and handsome. We miss him a lot. Thanks again for all the support. I will try and send pictures when things settle down.

So today I sit back and think how thankful I am for the things in my life that truly matter.  What's important to me is not how big my house is, what kind of car I drive, or how much money I make. Life to me is about love.  It's about being thankful for having good health.  It's about my kids.  That's what is truly important. :)