The Unsung Heroes are getting a Song

Toby and I hear a lot.....

"you are so strong."

"such courage."

"your faith is an inspiration."

"we dont know how you do it."

"You are so brave."

"Wow."

"You are such an example to me."

And we appreciate it. Every word of it.

but today in light of Spina Bifida Awareness month I want to take time to take the spot light off Toby for a moment.

I do believe he is all of those things, but there are others in our lives that are those things and more.

We know not every family has this. We know we are blessed beyond all we could imagine. 

To my Friends

You are so strong. You know that hanging out with me means baggage. You know it means helping me. You know it means work and you do it. You call me. You text me. You are there. You listen to my fears, you see my tears and even when there is nothing to say you are there. You can jump from having fun to hearing stories that break your heart. You sit in ICU rooms with me and sneak in ice cream. You are strong. You get 4 phone calls a day because I'm mad about the way insurance messed up again, and you still pick up the phone on the 5th call. You send boxes. You design and ship shirts. You are probably broke from fundraisers. You watch kids, lots of them. You go out late with me because thats the most feasible time for me to get away. You are what I need and when I need it. Week after Week, month after month, year after year. When I've lost all faith you give me some of yours. 

you are so strong

To the Siblings

Such courage. You get left behind. You get told to wait. You get a tired Mom.You sit by during endless phone calls to doctors and insurance companies. You know at any moment our normal day could end up at the ER or in a doctors office. You keep going and that takes courage. You wait. You help. You are sensitive to his needs and our needs. You are supportive and happy. You dont complain about the presents and the seemingly endless movies he gets to watch. You help with babies and do more chores than probably your fair share. You get scared and you get uncertain but you keep going. You stand by while people ask about him and not you. You stand by while people talk to him and not you. You are courageous. You are stronger than you know. 

such courage.

To Tobys Friends

You are such an example to me. You wait on him to catch up to you. You play the games he can join in on. You visit him in the hospital. You spend your money to buy him a present. You come hang out when you know there wont be any physical activity. You are the example. You carry arm crutches, water cups and balls. You dont bat an eye when he runs over your toes or knocks into your shins. You compete with him, because you dont treat him differently. You are the example. He's your friend not because you dont see the medical equipment, not because you haven't  noticed the scars, its because you dont know care.  I love each and everyone of you for that. 

you are such an example to me.

To the others (you know who you are)

We don't know how you do it. You bring us meals. You call us. You watch children. You fill bags full of snacks for hospital stays. You never seem to tire of doing for us. You call us and say, "We want to know. We want to understand. We want to know what he goes through," and you mean it. You pray. You think of us. You talk about us. We don't know how you don't get sick of us. You send us messages on facebook. You comment on every picture, blog and article. You go the extra mile to help us find equipment. You show up at our door with exactly what we are praying for.  We don't know how you do it.

So this is for you. The ones behind the scenes. The ones that really have all the strength. The ones who carry burdens we have carefully handed over. The ones we trust. The ones we love. The ones that make this month of Spina Bifida Awareness so much more than about Toby.

We love you all

So what about you?  Who is in your life that blesses your socks off and makes your journey easier?