In 1997, our beautiful surprise third baby, Jeffrey, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a progressive neuromuscular disease. In its most destructive form, death usually occurs before the age of two. Faced with a devastating set of circumstances and the discovery of an old cemetery at the top of our little mountain (with markers for at least a few babies), a road was cleared for the time Jeffrey would need his own special spot. That time came when our little guy turned just 5-1/2 months old, and 'Angel Mountain' became (un)officially official. Future plans include sprucing up the area and building a quaint memorial chapel; in the meantime, however, we enjoy knowing we're already a tiny bit closer to heaven....
See below for book news!
Meet the 'Staff'
Sami hogs the reservations desk, leaving li'l sis Emma outside to welcome cabineers. Again. Meanwhile, staffer Kali insisted immediately after her arrival in May, 2009, that we create a Lost & Found position for her, and it's obvious she does have substantial expertise. She has found items we didn't particularly need (tree limbs) and some we hadn't learned yet were missing. Hmmm....
It took Kali three attempts to plant the evidence in convincing fashion. Not at all suspicious.
Well, whaddaya know - look what I found! Does this joint pay by commission or what?
Say, Inspector Gadget... that wouldn't be mud on your snoot, would it? You sure your department shouldn't be called Hide & Seek?
Uh, nope, I'm just - um - working on the next - ahem - scamcase, trying to keep a nose out for - um - lost items that need to be - ahem - retrieved. Yep, that's what I'm doin' alright. Retrievin'...'cause I'm a Retriever, ya know.
Our fine Emma, who does minimal labor around here to earn her keep (see her enthusiastic greeter skills above), was asked to act joyous in the midst of fall leaf wonderland for a mere camera click. She first wanted to know if there was a cookie or two involved for a good photo shoot.
Looks like Sami has taken over Emma's greeter job. Oops.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Helen wrote about Jeffrey's brief earth time in The Jeffrey Journey. Based on notes Helen kept, the book provides a firsthand glimpse at how anguish, faith, and humor unexpectedly meld together to bring about a renewed sense of peace, joy, appreciation, and myriad blessings in all forms. Join the book's Facebook fan/like/whatever page for updates!
The Jeffrey Journey has just been reissued (March '10) under a new publisher! It is currently available thru Amazon.com (also in Kindle format), Barnes & Noble, and Milverstead Publishing.
In addition, the book is available thru Helen as part of a package with a CD (or two!) from her mother, JoAnn. Dreams for Jeffrey is a collection of lullabies JoAnn wrote for Jeffrey; Grief: Loss and Recovery is a stunning project inspired by the loss of her husband (and Helen's father), Elton. Learn more about JoAnn here!
For additional information on SMA:
Families of SMA * Fight SMA * SMASpace * SMA Support * SMA Foundation
Special Note! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have identified SMA as the disease closest to the treatment of more than 600 neurological disorders (including ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy). If you have a spare minute, please sign the online petition urging support in the House and Senate for the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act (to be reintroduced in the 111th Congress) and ask friends and family to do the same... and so on and so on. The signatures have been coming so steadily, the original goal of 1000 signatures was soon bumped up to 100,000, and slowly but surely, it will be reached.
Thank you! Your support will help provide hope for many, many families dealing with a variety of wicked circumstances.
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