Abby update - December 6

Today this girl got to go to the mall! Abby's therapists organized her first "outing" for her (a good thing, since she's really going to be "out" in a couple of weeks). When Gordon and I heard "outing" we were picturing a park, but I think the therapy crew kind of likes malls better. That's okay, we had a really good time there, including Grandma and Grandpa.

And Abby did really well there. She walked the whole time (and you know how tiring walking in malls can be!). She also ordered her meal at the Chinese place in the food court (orange chicken, fried rice, lo mein noodles, and egg drop soup--a welcome change, I'm sure, from finely chopped chicken and carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pudding!). She even did a little Christmas shopping at Bath and Body Works and saw Santa! The kids and I have always loved to visit malls at Christmas time, and this visit was extra-special.

Tonight, however, she's pooped, but then so am I, so I'll just close with thanks for sharing our joy over the last few days.

Blessings of Christmas to you all,
Lee Ann, Gordon, Abby, & Frank


WHO IS ABBY? - final page
Abby’s a child of God. Some would classify her as a “compliant” child, but I prefer to think that God has simply given her a sweet spirit, designed to be a woman after His own heart. She chooses to do the right thing because it is what her heart seeks, and she loves because I think she knows she is loved. I’ve written of her empathy for animals, but she reaches out to people too. I remember her crying as a 3-year-old when Frank got his immunizations because he cried. I remember her wanting to visit Luther, an elderly blind friend, when she was about five or six and then her holding his hand. I remember when she was about seven or eight and learned of orphans in Madagascar and how she and her friend Amber and Frank held a bake sale at the local grocery store to raise money to send them. I think of her visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and shut-ins with her dog or violin—perhaps because I took her, but with a willing heart. When I first began to attend our church 16 years ago, I noticed a young blonde, blue-eyed girl with an angelic face who radiated God’s love as she sang in children’s programs. Little did I know that girl, Jessie, would grow up to be such a blessing in our lives. Little did I know that God would grant us such an angel of our own a few years later. Abby knows and believes that she has a home in heaven, but I prefer to believe that God can do much of heaven’s work on earth through her. And that is the Abby we know, love, and believe in.