Christmas Card and Letter
For those who did not receive our Christmas card I am including it here with the letter I sent out. The picture and card were done by my friend, the very talented Kim Ence with 1000 Words Photography. The picture was taken only 10 days before Madi passed and I am forever grateful to Kim for making that happen for us.
Douglas Christmas Letter 2011
Looking back through this year is a very difficult task. We started out the year with a wonderful and perfect little family and ended it just a bit broken. Madi, our three-year old, was diagnosed with DIPG, a rare terminal brain cancer. She passed away on November 8th, less than 8 months after she was diagnosed and six weeks before Christmas.
For the first time in three years, Madi will not be with us for Christmas this year. She will miss fun times with friends and family. She will miss all the gift giving and Christmas morning presents. She will miss the carolers, Santa and Christmas specials. She will miss the spirit of love and charity that abounds this time of year. And she will miss a season of celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
In looking back over those things that Madi will not be able to experience this Christmas season, we find comfort in knowing that Madi did not miss Christmas. She had Christmas all year long. She had friends and family make trips to see her, spend time with her, and keep her laughing and smiling. She certainly didn’t miss out on gift-giving. Presents came from family, from friends, and even from perfect strangers. They were delivered in person, by mail, or simply dropped off on our doorstep. Madi had more presents this year than could fit in Santa’s sleigh. Through the Make-a-Wish foundation, she got to sit on Santa’s lap at the “Give Kids the World” Village. Friends and classmates would visit her preschool and sing songs to her. And since one of her favorite movies was “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, she even got to watch Christmas specials. Madi had people all over the world showing her charity. They prayed and fasted for her, they brought her meals, did yard work, sent her on dream vacations, and donated or raised money for her. And we rejoiced in the birth of our Savior all year long. We talked about His life and the miracles He performed. We talked about His death and resurrection. We celebrated His message of hope and of eternal life and gave thanks for His atonement that makes it possible for our broken family to be whole again.
This Christmas, our hearts are filled with gratitude. We give thanks to family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances and perfect strangers who made it possible. It was a wonder to watch the spirit of love and charity abound all year long. We are so blessed.
Our hope is that every year can be spent celebrating Christmas all year long. You have shown us how this is done, and we hope to pay it forward. May your hearts be filled with the Christmas spirit this season and throughout the New Year!
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