“Perspective”
Well, I’ve made it through the first month as a family of four. It is getting better and better each day. Thank you very much for all the warm wishes and thoughts during this special time.
Perspective: the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer.
This is something I have had some time over the last few weeks to think about. It wasn’t very long ago that I sat up late at night worrying about the market (both real estate and financial sector), the bills, the second mortgage, the list goes on. Like many of us, if I don’t have something to think about (or worry about) it just isn’t a day in the life of Jeri. On October 11th around 3 pm my perspective shifted quite dramatically. I gave birth to a HEALTHY, beautiful baby boy who reminded me that perhaps my perspective was a little off.
This all started about 8 months ago when I went for a routine ultrasound. What began as a normal day quickly became a bad dream. We saw the heart beat, looked at his little fingers and then it all stopped. The Dr. came in and told us that there was fluid around of little guy’s brain and spine and gave him an 80% chance of having a genetic disorder or brain damage (mental retardation). This began a series of tests and a lot of prayer. A LOT. We then found a tiny hole is Andrew’s heart and his legs were measuring small both signs of Down Syndrome. Let me tell you that every ounce of what you think you believe is questioned and you are forced to start thinking about things you never want to to even imagine. Each day felt like a year and I began researching these different genetic diseases and learned as much as I could. More tests and a few weeks later, we were told that the fluid had resolved and all tests came back clear. The Dr.’s were baffled. We were thrilled. It was a miracle.
As you can imagine, the anxiety that built waiting for little Andrew to join us and to witness first hand the miracle of health was massive. I think I really started to block it all out and focus on the list of other concerns relating to the market and whatever I could think of, more than I normally would have. It wasn’t until I held this precious child in my arms did I realize that all of that didn’t really matter any more. Or not as much as I thought it did. Life is crazy sometimes. We don’t always get the answers we are looking for and we definitely can’t control everything no matter how hard we try. And, boy do we try hard!
What we can control is our mind and how we treat others and our perspective. As the New Year approaches, I’d like to ask each one of you, What is your Big Why? It doesn’t have to be that big or maybe it is larger than life. Who do you love? Have you told the people who you love that you do? What drives you? Are you healthy both physically and mentally? Do you wake up with a grateful heart and spirit each day?
It is my hope that we, as a team, can focus on these things. I believe we will naturally attract great things in to our lives if we do just that. It takes practice, daily affirmations and support of one another to really focus on them. It isn’t always easy to do, especially when we are working harder than we ever had and many of us for less than we’ve ever made. We’ve got to find strength in this and grow. I know we can do it!
I love you guys and miss you and I am so proud of the work you are doing. I hope our little story of our miracle will inspire you just a little bit to check out your perspective today.
Happy Holidays!
