...in who knows how many days?
Em and I read a book during homeschool last year about a man in his hot air balloon who raced around the world, a race against the clock. He wanted to beat a record.
What if there were no time frame?
What if the point was just to see God's creativity in His big green earth, learn new cultures, eat new foods, love on people, and take in the beauty in the faces of God's people to the ends of the earth?
I imagine the guy in the balloon who raced around the world missed out on the bigger picture. Sure, he was the fastest, but did he get to truly experience the trip?
My love continues to grow for a sweet little handsome boy and his family. They are on an adventure with an unclear time frame.
Their dream as a family has been to see the world, which is why they named their youngest guy Trek Atlas...and they are living that dream presently in Nicaragua...but it's a bittersweet adventure because Trek has a fatal condition, and of course, they don't know the day he no longer will be on the journey this side of Heaven...
I want you to know I met Jarrett and Chelsea. This isn't some Internet story for attention from people who don't really exist. We ate bacon together. They are as real as it gets :)
I held Trek's sweet little body in my arms on January 12, 2012. He's a real boy, with captivating eyes, who brings so much joy to his family and anyone who is able to meet him. And I'm not going to lie, I have a crush on him, for reals!
Jason is headed to Bangladesh today for his dream job, "To help women and children in 3rd world countries..." He works for Compassion International and is the ministry director of their Child Survival Program. After receiving world class care for our son, his eyes were opened to health care throughout the rest of the world and he asked God how he could make a difference.
However, the reality is even the best care in the world was not enough for our son. And it isn't for many other children who have incurable diseases, in the first or third world.
Trek Atlas Ingram has one stamp on his passport, thus far. I'm not sure he'll ever step foot on the soil of Bangladesh, but a Flat Trek will be headed there for the next week with Jason to bring smiles to cute kids and their moms.
And the reason Jason will be there in the first place is because his own son, who only lived 7 months on this earth, changed his heart and perspective to what really matters: Loving God without regrets, living life to the fullest, casting off all restraints...not a bucket list of selfish indulgence but a list of living life that has no beginning and is lived out fully until the end, whenever that may be, all for the Glory of God.
Want to help Trek get stamps on his passport? You don't have to actually GO anywhere, but if you live anywhere other than Maui, Colorado, or Nicaragua, then Trek's never been to your neck of the woods.
You can get your own Flat Trek with more information here.
You can encourage the family on their Facebook page or on their blogs, here, here, and here.
Thanks for letting me share here about this sweet little guy. He has really touched my heart and I can't stop praying for him and his family because it's just all too familiar...
Showing posts with label Trek Ingram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trek Ingram. Show all posts
Friday, February 24, 2012
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Trekking Around the World
Remember this?
It's been a while. I wouldn't expect you to, but I sure do. One night, 5 years ago last November, we had gotten some yummy Chinese take-out and were sitting in Noah's room at The Children's Hospital. As we finished up and started cracking open our fortune cookies, I grabbed one and said, "This one's for Noah." If you can see in the picture, that's medical tape, the kind that used to keep tubes and crap attached to my sweet boy. We used it for other things, as you can see.
At the time I remember thinking, "Oh how great it would be if You would heal Noah, God, and we could go all over the world (a lifetime dream of mine) and tell everyone of Your faithfulness, love and power." This was my initial response to reading, "You will step on the soil of many countries."
It's because I had seen myself with a grown son...remember? And so I naturally thought it was Noah...since he was my only son at the time and all. And Noah did step on the soil of many countries, so to speak, just not physically with his two sweet little feet. His blog hit every continent before he died, but that wasn't quite what I had been thinking...
Well, fast forward 5 years. This post isn't about Noah. It's about how my heart leaps out of my chest every time I see pictures of a sweet mama and her boy, so very much in love, who are on a journey. It's about how I can't get them out of my mind, not because I want to, but because God continues to put them on my heart, all throughout the day.
I have mentioned him here before, but I'm asking you not to turn away. I KNOW reading about a kid that is dying is nothing less than gut-wrenching. It's HARD. It SUCKS. It's a volume of books filled with descriptive words that can't really describe the heartache. I freaking GET IT! It's why hundreds stopped reading my blog after Noah died. I understand. It's not as fun as Pinterest or Facebook or a hundred million other things.
But I'm literally begging you to let your heart pray for Jarrett, Chelsea, Peyton, Conner and Trek, as they set off on a journey of living life to the fullest, one day at a time.
You see, someone close to them contacted me to pray for them...she had read Noah's blog and couldn't stop thinking about some of the similarities.
Here is where my heart is wrecked. We never wanted Noah to be stuck in a hospital bed his whole freaking life. That was never our dream for him...but because of a whole hellofalotta reasons, we were stuck. There were days I dreamed of stealing him out of the hospital and taking him home...but we couldn't because we didn't have home health care at the time. It was a big mess. The closest I got to showing him the world was this...whoopdefreakingdo!
Anyway, Chelsea's heart is living out what I wished I could have done with Noah.
Am I living vicariously through them? Only the freedom part...I lived all the rest already.
Either way, my heart is crying out for them to RUN, PLAY, LAUGH, CRY, REST, STARE, LISTEN, SING, NUGGLE, SMOOCH, HOLD ON and LET GO all at once.
I pray for God's love to fill every corner of their lives with such fullness that this time in their lives will ever be etched in their hearts.
I hate what they are going through but if I had it to do over, which I don't wish for, but if I could go back, I'd run like hell out of that hospital and live whatever amount of time I had with my boy, free from the beeps and meds and tubes and tests and pokes and drugs and smells and unknowns.
I'd run.
I don't despise what we went through, I do have to say, because 5 years later, I'm grateful to at least have the perspective that life is short. It's time to live, today, right now, to the fullest. Time and the people in our lives are literally gifts from God for our joy.
It's time you, or someone you know, stop holding back.
Hug tighter.
Kiss longer.
Stare at your children.
Laugh your ass off.
Play on the floor with your kids.
Tell your husband you love him.
Tell him you are sorry.
Hold hands.
Turn off your freaking television. Hell, throw the damn thing away.
Forgive.
Stop caring what others think of you.
Trust God sees the bigger picture. Relinquish the control you think you need to have.
Smile.
Listen.
Play.
Dream.
Live in wonder.
Baby Trek Atlas may not physically touch the soil of many countries in his short life time, but the way he's living with his big brothers and mommy and daddy who adore him...well, he's experiencing more love than many do in a lifetime. And, if you spend some time reading his mama's blog, I would venture to guess he'll have you looking around, wondering what matters, and making a few changes and tweaks to what is important.
That's Trek, a 9.5 month old, teaching us a thing or two. That's him stepping on the soil of many countries...
It's been a while. I wouldn't expect you to, but I sure do. One night, 5 years ago last November, we had gotten some yummy Chinese take-out and were sitting in Noah's room at The Children's Hospital. As we finished up and started cracking open our fortune cookies, I grabbed one and said, "This one's for Noah." If you can see in the picture, that's medical tape, the kind that used to keep tubes and crap attached to my sweet boy. We used it for other things, as you can see.
At the time I remember thinking, "Oh how great it would be if You would heal Noah, God, and we could go all over the world (a lifetime dream of mine) and tell everyone of Your faithfulness, love and power." This was my initial response to reading, "You will step on the soil of many countries."
It's because I had seen myself with a grown son...remember? And so I naturally thought it was Noah...since he was my only son at the time and all. And Noah did step on the soil of many countries, so to speak, just not physically with his two sweet little feet. His blog hit every continent before he died, but that wasn't quite what I had been thinking...
Well, fast forward 5 years. This post isn't about Noah. It's about how my heart leaps out of my chest every time I see pictures of a sweet mama and her boy, so very much in love, who are on a journey. It's about how I can't get them out of my mind, not because I want to, but because God continues to put them on my heart, all throughout the day.
I have mentioned him here before, but I'm asking you not to turn away. I KNOW reading about a kid that is dying is nothing less than gut-wrenching. It's HARD. It SUCKS. It's a volume of books filled with descriptive words that can't really describe the heartache. I freaking GET IT! It's why hundreds stopped reading my blog after Noah died. I understand. It's not as fun as Pinterest or Facebook or a hundred million other things.
But I'm literally begging you to let your heart pray for Jarrett, Chelsea, Peyton, Conner and Trek, as they set off on a journey of living life to the fullest, one day at a time.
You see, someone close to them contacted me to pray for them...she had read Noah's blog and couldn't stop thinking about some of the similarities.
Here is where my heart is wrecked. We never wanted Noah to be stuck in a hospital bed his whole freaking life. That was never our dream for him...but because of a whole hellofalotta reasons, we were stuck. There were days I dreamed of stealing him out of the hospital and taking him home...but we couldn't because we didn't have home health care at the time. It was a big mess. The closest I got to showing him the world was this...whoopdefreakingdo!
Anyway, Chelsea's heart is living out what I wished I could have done with Noah.
Am I living vicariously through them? Only the freedom part...I lived all the rest already.
Either way, my heart is crying out for them to RUN, PLAY, LAUGH, CRY, REST, STARE, LISTEN, SING, NUGGLE, SMOOCH, HOLD ON and LET GO all at once.
I pray for God's love to fill every corner of their lives with such fullness that this time in their lives will ever be etched in their hearts.
I hate what they are going through but if I had it to do over, which I don't wish for, but if I could go back, I'd run like hell out of that hospital and live whatever amount of time I had with my boy, free from the beeps and meds and tubes and tests and pokes and drugs and smells and unknowns.
I'd run.
I don't despise what we went through, I do have to say, because 5 years later, I'm grateful to at least have the perspective that life is short. It's time to live, today, right now, to the fullest. Time and the people in our lives are literally gifts from God for our joy.
It's time you, or someone you know, stop holding back.
Hug tighter.
Kiss longer.
Stare at your children.
Laugh your ass off.
Play on the floor with your kids.
Tell your husband you love him.
Tell him you are sorry.
Hold hands.
Turn off your freaking television. Hell, throw the damn thing away.
Forgive.
Stop caring what others think of you.
Trust God sees the bigger picture. Relinquish the control you think you need to have.
Smile.
Listen.
Play.
Dream.
Live in wonder.
Baby Trek Atlas may not physically touch the soil of many countries in his short life time, but the way he's living with his big brothers and mommy and daddy who adore him...well, he's experiencing more love than many do in a lifetime. And, if you spend some time reading his mama's blog, I would venture to guess he'll have you looking around, wondering what matters, and making a few changes and tweaks to what is important.
That's Trek, a 9.5 month old, teaching us a thing or two. That's him stepping on the soil of many countries...
Life is short. How will you spend it?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Little BIG Feet
If you don't know how much I love feet, scroll down to the bottom of this page...I'll wait...
Okay. So, let me clarify, because by "love feet" I want to make sure it's clear which ones I mean:
You see, you, or someone you know, may have really big feet or small, petite ones, but it's the footprint you leave that will make the lasting impression.
Five years ago when Noah died, he had the smallest feet in the family, simply speaking size here. However, his teeny, tiny, chewy, yummy, sweet little feet left the biggest footprint on my heart. His little BIG feet caused me to re-evaluate life on many levels and got these size 8's on the move. Not just to move around and add chaos to the world, but on the move to start living the way I was intended and Designed to live.
Do I do it right all the time? Nope. I'm a student on this earth...
I just met another mom that loves feet. And by "loves feet" I'm not so sure Chelsea loves them the same way I describe above, but it's clear she loves the journey and makes the most of her treasured times with her husband and their 3 sons. And though from reading her blog I can tell she loved them well prior to meeting her most recent little BIG feet, it seems, once again, that a sweet little boy with teeny, tiny, yummy toes has "walked" into her heart and brought about even more joy, life and perspective, through love and heartache.
I was able to meet Trek and his Mommy and Daddy yesterday here in Colorado. I even got to snuggle her little lover in my arms for a brief moment, trying to give Chelsea a chance to eat her breakfast, but Trek knows his mama and I handed him back into her loving arms.
Trek needs your prayers. And so do his parents. And his big brothers. And their family.
I have a crush on him, I'm not going to lie. He is one handsome guy who gave me a few smiles and just reading about how he came into the world and how his life is inspiring others to live, well, you can't help but get a bit wrapped around his cute little toes.
Trek has a genetic disorder, one they tested Noah for. His parents are so brave and strong! They are going to spend his beautiful days here on earth building memories as a family. As they do, please keep them all in your prayers!
The size of your feet do not matter...it's the kind of footprints you leave here on earth that make a lasting impression!
Okay. So, let me clarify, because by "love feet" I want to make sure it's clear which ones I mean:
- NOT stinky, sweaty, hairy, scaly ones
- BUT YES to: chewy, teeny, tiny, pink, plump, yummy ones
You see, you, or someone you know, may have really big feet or small, petite ones, but it's the footprint you leave that will make the lasting impression.
Five years ago when Noah died, he had the smallest feet in the family, simply speaking size here. However, his teeny, tiny, chewy, yummy, sweet little feet left the biggest footprint on my heart. His little BIG feet caused me to re-evaluate life on many levels and got these size 8's on the move. Not just to move around and add chaos to the world, but on the move to start living the way I was intended and Designed to live.
Do I do it right all the time? Nope. I'm a student on this earth...
I just met another mom that loves feet. And by "loves feet" I'm not so sure Chelsea loves them the same way I describe above, but it's clear she loves the journey and makes the most of her treasured times with her husband and their 3 sons. And though from reading her blog I can tell she loved them well prior to meeting her most recent little BIG feet, it seems, once again, that a sweet little boy with teeny, tiny, yummy toes has "walked" into her heart and brought about even more joy, life and perspective, through love and heartache.
I was able to meet Trek and his Mommy and Daddy yesterday here in Colorado. I even got to snuggle her little lover in my arms for a brief moment, trying to give Chelsea a chance to eat her breakfast, but Trek knows his mama and I handed him back into her loving arms.
Trek needs your prayers. And so do his parents. And his big brothers. And their family.
I have a crush on him, I'm not going to lie. He is one handsome guy who gave me a few smiles and just reading about how he came into the world and how his life is inspiring others to live, well, you can't help but get a bit wrapped around his cute little toes.
Trek has a genetic disorder, one they tested Noah for. His parents are so brave and strong! They are going to spend his beautiful days here on earth building memories as a family. As they do, please keep them all in your prayers!
The size of your feet do not matter...it's the kind of footprints you leave here on earth that make a lasting impression!
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