Yep. There it is. Grace.

Gut wrenching cries wracked my body. I couldn’t hold it in. “You are dreaming,” I told myself. But it didn’t matter because when I woke up, the dream transferred to a very real reality. A reality that told me this dream, or rather, nightmare, was in my future. The one that looked like a life without Titus. I wanted to stop the deep emotion and sorrowful cries, it really hurt to feel so big. But I couldn’t. It had taken over. Danny leaned over me, calling my name over and over. I felt his arms come around me, holding me, telling me it was ok. This is how I began my day today. A day that holds an anniversary I’d rather forget or pretend doesn’t exist, but with everything in me, I can’t forget. I tried to spend the better part of my morning as if all was normal, but tears were near the surface at all times because truth is, I remember. I remember the anxiety I felt the night before this day last year knowing we’d be marching in to the doctor’s office the next morning to hear the results they had discovered. And I remember the shock, grief, and loss that struck us immediately when we heard the word Batten for the first time on April 7th, 2015 at 11:45 in the morning.

Oh… what a year. My calendar year has been changed. No longer does my year start over in January. No, my year becomes complete on April 7th. On the first day we heard the word Batten. All year, I’ve looked back each day and remembered “a year ago today, Titus (fill in the blank)”. So many milestones gained and then lost. This has been the year of loss. The year Batten took over. Soon my “a year ago” comparisons won’t look so drastically different from the present, the now. It breaks my heart. I marvel at the way it is already April 7! How has this nightmare continued for so long? I should’ve woken up a long time ago to find my boys wrestling in the front room. To hear them singing in joyous chorus together. But that cannot be our life. Oh, how have I survived?

The other night I listened to Danny play a video of Titus. His little voice and dinosaur roar pierced my soul. I smiled on the outside, choosing to remember with fondness. On the inside, my soul was bleeding through the pierced hole, crying with pain. What a gift, this video, but what agony and… will I always have to feel that?

I mean really, guys, how have I survived? And more, thrived?

Is it because I’ve turned into a super hero able to rise above all emotions and circumstances- plowing through each day as necessarily as I must? I think we all know this answer… um, No.

Is it because I must have just been made for this sorta thing? This story, these circumstances? The ones that so many use to deem me “mother of all things they themselves could never survive”? I just naturally fit the role? Yeah…. No.

Is it because I must be in denial and stuffing away my feelings and emotions, refusing to face the truth? Yep, you guessed it… No.

I can explain my survival through one word.

GRACE.

Period.

That my superior God looks down at inferior me and chooses me- gives FAVOR to me!

That He allows my heart to open, not close. My eyes to see, not burn. Love to be experienced and felt, not shut out.

That He gifts me laughter, perspective, joy! Not bitterness!

That He holds me in the dark rather than hide from me.

That He allows me to see gifts all around.

In the twinkle of my son’s eye- there it is! A gift!

In the giggle that begins deep in the throat and explodes out, face lifting to the sky (because that’s the proper way to fully laugh with abandon)- there it is! A gift!

In the warm hug that holds me even after I’ve spoken bitter words, tried to drive it away. There it is. A gift.

In the teachers, nurses, and therapists who embrace my boys with love and one-of-a-kind care, giving it all they’ve got. A gift!

In the many Team 4 Titus & Ely events that have popped up over the year. The stories of people changed, loving BIG, allowing God to work through the boys and through others’ generosity. There is is! A gift!

In the calming, centered peace given at my kitchen counter as I sip on a cup of tea and talk to my God. There it is. A gift.

In the encouraging words on cards, scrawled out beautifully, giving us glimpses of authentic love. Yes, a gift.

In the community of love and pledged journeying together – a commitment to do life with us… No matter the cost. There it is. A gift!

In the tender snuggles and endless giggles. Yep, a gift.

The way I can fall apart mentally and still rise brave. A gift.

Yep. There it is. Grace.

It is all a gift of GRACE!

In no way did I, Bekah, do anything majestic or astonishing or particularly breathtaking to deserve acts of such unbelievable grace.

Who does that? Who extends grace like that? We selfish and limited mortals? Do we, on our own, create that kind of power? Of freedom? Of Love?

We could never… not on our own. We are only conveyors of God’s grace.  God’s grace centers me, grounds me. And I don’t want to miss it, this gift of grace. I could fool myself into believing the reason I have His favor is because of how much good I must do. That I’ve earned it. But let me tell you, I can’t even begin to live under that pressure. There is no amount of good deeds I could have done to earn what my God has given me in love, grace, mercy, wisdom, perspective. There is no ability for me to make enough good choices and to be nice, kind or giving enough to change the situation we live in. I cannot redeem this junk, this disease. I can’t. I can’t. But my God can. My God lives in an economy of grace!(Thank you Pastor Steve!) He works in an economy that looks like this: You owe, Bekah. It’s your heartbreak, Bekah. It’s your problem, Bekah. But… I’ll pay. I’ll redeem. I’ll hold you. I’ll stand beside you in the raging current. I’ll listen to you whether you praise my name or curse at me. I’ll be there to celebrate with you. I’ll be there to mourn with you. I’ll pay, Bekah. I’ll pay. 

For those who might think faith is just a part of my life and that perhaps it falls under the extra curricular or extra credit category, let me challenge you for a moment. It’s not just a piece of my life. It’s not a check mark on my to do list. It’s not a back-burner consideration. It’s everything. His grace is what gives me the ability to smile. It’s what keeps me in check when I say something against my fellow human. It’s what causes me to feel, deeply. It’s what gives me strength to keep getting up each day. It’s what gives me bravery and courage to encounter whatever is dealt out. It’s what brings me back to

love

thankfulness

joy.

This gift of grace is for me. And, it’s for you. And, on this difficult anniversary, where I cling to hope and redemption of all this pain, I pray you also feel the love of a good, good Father who loves you and me. I end with the face of my sweet firstborn and the blessing, or life verse, I pray over him every night.

Thanks for listening,

Bekah