The Harnisch Family

The Harnisch Family

Jan 6, 2010

A Special visit from Grandpa!

All is well on the home front. Sure is nice to not have to go anywhere in this frigid weather. We still continue to be overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from all of you guys. WOW...Macy sure is loved by soooo many!! What a lucky little girl! We have had several visitors these last few days and it just warms our hearts that so many people are going out of their way for us. Picking up a few grocery items here & there and bringing wonderful home cooked meals over to the house. These kind gestures are not and will never go unappreciated!!!
*******************
A Children's home Healthcare nurse has been and will be paying us a visit each day to draw blood (check her billi levels), weigh her, listen to heart, take her temp, etc...They have all been very nice so far. Below is a picture of the first nurse who came to visit, as you will see Toby has to be right in the middle of ALL the action! He's quite the protector. :-)
More foot poking. :-( Poor thing, they are starting to run out of places to draw blood in her little heel.
**************
Macy's Grandpa Lee popped in on us and hung out for the morning. :-) He even brought little Macy an ice cream treat...that silly Grandpa Lee! Now remember Macy, you need to be nice to this Grandpa, he is a push over when it comes to his grandbabies, he has all sorts of goodies and fun stuff in store you! (Not to mention fancy shoes) We had a a very special morning relaxing by the fire and watching the thick, fluffy snow fall outside the window! Glad we do not have to venture out there today.*******************
I would like to leave you with this wonderful poem. I have had several people reference this in their conversations and notes to me. Many have also copied and pasted into emails for us to read. It is very touching and truly puts this whole journey we have ahead of us into perspective:

Welcome To Holland
By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David.

The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

6 comments:

  1. How beautiful! I have never heard that before. So appropriate! So glad you're enjoying your time at home with Macy and Kenzie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sherri, the poem was wonderful. Sure put things in perspective for the Gliddens. Wish I would have found that 8 yrs ago, might have made things a little easier with what we were going through at that time. I am so glad to hear that everyone is finally HOME! Enjoy your time!!!! Lisa Glidden

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful story. And so touching. Hope you are all settling in nicely. Stay warm.

    Stacey Frailey

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sherri, Joey, McKennzie, and Macy,
    Thank you for sharing this sweet poem and blog! I will follow it from Kansas and Jackie will follow it from Korea :)
    Love your cousin,
    Nickie

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW!!! Those were very powerful words and how true they are, you and Joe are on a new venture with the Lord by your side. Who better to have with you then him. God Bless!
    Love and prayers,
    Rick and Marie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love that story!! I want to come over and see you one of these days. Just wanted to give you a little time to settle in and have some time to yourselves!! I hope all is still continueing to go well. She is absolutely adaorable!! Kissable little cheeks, I love kissable little cheeks!

    God Bless your family
    Marlo

    ReplyDelete