Our children who have died love us deeply. They are saturated in the presence of God’s all encompassing love, which is bigger and wider than our human minds can comprehend. Because of this Big Love, they want us to be the fullest expression of who we are and of what we are created to be. They want us to become all that our stories invite us to become. They want us to stop hitting the snooze button, and to begin cultivating our best selves.

We cannot do this when we are waging war with life.
We cannot do this when we are focused on waging war with disease or circumstance.
Yes, we can make change and we should. That is part of the invitation.
But if we see making external change in the world the totality of our work, and miss the inner change we are being invited to, we miss the scope of the invitation.

As his personality developed and blossomed, I met a fiery, joyful, curious child. I met a boy who thrived despite great challenge.

Ethan’s identity was certainly not his heart disease.
Ethan’s identity was Ethan.
He defined himself, he lived on his terms.

He pulled me into a big life. It’s as if he said “mom, go this way, I want you to see this part of life”. His mesmerizing joy captured my heart and gave me strength to do anything. He blossomed me, he stretched me, he grew me. 

You wonder if your life will be a narrative of sadness, or heaviness. You wonder if there is room for hope, for goodness, for your hearts’ desires. You wonder if you will ever feel a swell of joy, a swagger of confidence, a flow of peace. You desire freedom. You want your life to feel purposeful. You want to feel free. To dance in the light of love, to twirl in the open space. In the breezy place where you can breathe with ease.

Here’s what I want to tell you today. You, my dear, beautiful friend are full of beauty, full of hope, full of purpose. You are loved. You are cherished. Your story is hard and your story is painful. But through this story of pain can blossom trees of life, flowers of beauty, branches of help and hope.

Because YOU are made to love.

Teach me God about your goodness. Show me an open space. Bring breath to my lungs and energy to my being. Show me that I can hope again. That I can see goodness. That my life is not a narrative of disappointment. Not a narrative of sickness. Help me to breathe easy. Just for a bit. I'm a weary traveler. I know how to find beauty in the damp dark forrest. I've seen the gifts in the darkness. But I'm looking for gifts in the light. Show me your light. Show me the fulfillment of my hearts desires. The ones that can be realized on this earth. Bring breath to my lungs. Uphold me. See me. Let me feel your presence. Let me feel free. 

This is a hard time of year for those of us who live with the death of our children. We often fumble for ways to be present in this Holiday Season. We know a seat will be empty at Christmas dinner and that there is a spot under the tree where some other presents would be. At the same time wedesire to feel joy and to engage in the magic of the season with our other children and with our family. The dance between joy and pain, fullness and emptiness..it continues. And is magnified this time of year. 

Today I'm sharing 8 things you can do THIS WEEK to honor your child and to take care of yourself. 

Happy Birthday Bodey! We love you. You are a gift. Thank you for inviting us to see more, to love deeper and to live ever more present and thankful. You are a great blessing to our family. We look forward to watching you grow into the Bodey you were created to be.

"Being honest with our kids about illness and the ugly parts of life is hard. I have reflected on why it’s so hard to be honest. I think it’s because we are forced to be honest with ourselves about the reality of our family situation and that’s painful. Honesty wrapped in love and reassurance gives siblings a compass as they navigate a sick brother or sister. It gives them a compass as they navigate life. No illness can rob our children of what they are first, siblings. The love they have for each other wins, it’s that legacy of love that remains. As parents we get to foster this love by the way we approach what life brings. Not easy, but I hope my boys look back and see that the love we have for them, and our honest approach to illness, might inspire them to use that love and their story to impact this world for the better."

Your arrival into my life, into our family was and is the most transformational gift. You gave us many gifts, but the greatest one is you taught us to love deeper and wider and bigger than we ever would have. Because of you Ethan, our lives are expansive. We’ve met the most incredible people, the most dedicated nurses and doctors, the most beautiful children. The intricacies of our experiences I could have never imagined. You taught me to swing open my chest and just love. You taught me to accept what comes. To take it in and to own it. You showed me it’s worthy to expend myself, to sacrifice, to give my all to someone. You knocked on the door of my heart and I let you in. I jumped in and gave you my whole heart. You and I are soul mates. From the very beginning we had a connection, a bond that felt centuries old. You showed me a love deeper than the deepest oceans, a love that survives death, a love that extends to eternity. A love that never, never, never ends.

But instead of crying in my car after loading up my Target purchases, I sat there and took a deep breath. I smiled at my kids then headed for Starbucks to treat myself for begin a brave mama. Sometimes just the little, normal things require us to be brave. I’m so thankful that my Ethan taught me how to be brave. This time around I’m challenging myself to see more gifts, and less limitations. I’m leaning into my role as a teacher. Instead of feeling defeated, I’m reminding myself of all the incredible ways Ethan touched our family and our community. Bodey will be no different. He will shine. He will teach and I will help him be the best Bodey he can be, just like I helped Ethan. I’m reminding myself to hold my head high, and to be proud of the life I have, instead of the life I planned for. Not easy, but worth the challenge. I’ve come to know that I’m here to learn, grow and teach. Some days I’m brave, some days I am not. And both are okay.

Experiencing suffering allows us to love others better. I don’t have answers. I can’t say there is some reason for Joey’s suffering or his pain. I can’t say I’m okay with any of it. Because honestly, I’m not. I love Ethan and I would sit with him again and again through all those hard days if I could. The love I have for him allows me to see and love others as they face life’s hard. Not only does it allow me to see other’s pain, I feel called to get right in the middle of it with them. And that, my friends, IS a gift. It’s a humbling, hard and beautiful gift. 

Listen to the message that startles your soul. Listen to the WOW. The jolt that makes it clear you better listen up. There are messages in these moments. Deep defining messages. Gifts hidden. Freedom waiting.  

I hope you will join us for our first retreat: Restoring a Mother's Heart at The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, WI November 4-6, 2016. Details and registration are coming March 1. The attendance will be limited to 25 moms. Feel free to email me with questions: jessica@ethanlindberg.com

"In mothering my 4 boys, I come alive and live into the purpose of my life. They are my teachers. I’ve learned to open my hands and surrender to what is. Not to what I wanted or hoped for. I can say without a doubt that I am in awe at the wonder of life."

A path to healing requires a lot of hard work. There’s no way around it. Though this path may seem daunting, it’s lit with hope. As you make a conscious commitment to healing, to walking through – not around – you will find helpers along the way. You will see light. You will feel the presence of love, of God in nooks and crannies you never thought possible. You will receive renewed energy for the journey. This supply of hope may come in tiny doses at first. But as you say “yes” to life, you’ll receive more, “yes” again more will come. Until you sit in an open space where hope is all around you.

But we can’t stay in the hiding. We can’t shirk away from life, from what its calling us to and teaching us. We just can’t. This world can’t grow and expand if we stay in our hiding place. It needs us to be big and open and free. Life is calling us to put on whatever makes us feel our best, to step out, to raise our hands and say, “I’m here, I’m showing up, I’m facing my giants”.

Ethan’s life and death have taught me to really listen to myself, my intuition, God, my soul. To really listen. As these thoughts of fear and failure raced through my mind, one of my greatest realizations of the last three years screamed to me. “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME.” My life is really not about me. My life is about loving others, making a difference, and impacting change. My life is not a container with 4 sides, but rather it’s a fluid river that’s ebbing and flowing and desiring forward motion. My spirit years for connection to you, to others. It yearns for meaning, purpose. It yearns for love.

You are the mom before someone. The dad before someone. The friend, the student, the scientist, the doctor, the teacher, the business person, the author, the someone before someone. Someone will come after you. They will stand on your shoulders. You can make a difference for them. You can stand tall and help make their story better. Even if you cannot make yours better. You get a choice. You always get a choice. I have come to a place in my life where I believe there are no coincidences. Ethan in the hospital for 13 months..no coincidence. Our story...no coincidence. Your story...no coincidence. You hate the outcome of your story? I get it. I do. But you get the choice. Make a change, make a difference. It doesn't have to be in a loud, sweeping way. It can be quiet and small...it's still making a difference. Love the people who tried their best, even if they came up short. Love them into doing something different next time. In the process of all of this...love yourself. You are a beautiful creation. You are created to make a difference. 

Choosing love is not easy. I would not have been able to choose it fully had Ethan not been my son. I loved him so much that it became my only choice, my only option. In choosing Ethan I have been broken and transformed. When I connect with another mom whose child is sick or a mom whose child has died, when I see a friend in a tough spot, I whisper “thank you Ethan”. It’s because of him that I can see these people and love them and feel so deeply with them. 

Spring has turned to summer and I find my body physically aches. I’m often not consciously thinking about being sad or about the fact that another school year has finished without Ethan and that another summer is upon us and we will make memories without him. I’m reminded that grief is physical and at times all encompassing and that it demands my time and my attention. I’m reminded that more time is passing and that healing is a process. That I'm still a student and that I have more work to do.