on behalf of a friend…

it's been about fifteen months since i began blogging.
i'm not really sure how or why i got into it, only that i love to write… i have things to say… and the fact that anyone reads is still amazing to me. i don't think i ever had a clue about the online community. no. flippin. clue.
perhaps it was getting sucked into the drama of a little micro-preemie named gwyneth. or her critically ill momma, patricia. or just the gut-wrenching vulnerability displayed by gwyn's daddy. whatever it was, i was hooked.
through them, i think i "met" jennifer mckinney. i mean seriously, who doesn't know mckmama? i think i heard yesterday she has about three million hits a month to her blog. whoa.
i've met so many cool people on various blogs. i've heard some seriously courageous stories. watched dramatic family moments play out. have seen some crazy grieving (and i don't mean that like crazy crazy. i mean that like astounding. or incredible. or intense. not crazy. crazy). and some tear inducing triumphs.
this is real life at its best. and worst.
i have been inspired by so many people that i don't have the space to list them all. and i have laughed harder than i have (like diet coke spewing all over my laptop laughing) ever laughed. so many funny and clever folks. i have been inspired to be more creative. to see life differently. to capture the small moments to savor. to live out my faith more radically.
i'm amazed at this community and how it rallies around people in need. how we cheer on people who are struggling. how we dig deep into our own resources to help the less fortunate. how we raise awareness to great causes.
i love this community. your hearts are huge. your capacity to lend a helping hand is enormous. your compassion is limitless. your ability to pray for others is unmatched.
i have a friend. in real life. (i know, weird, but it's true!) she and her husband, who is a youth pastor at a local church, have three beautiful kiddles and were pregnant with three more. two weeks ago, kelly and adam discovered that lincoln, one of the twins (two of their triplets shared a birth sac) had died. the next day, she underwent a c-section to deliver the other two babies. at 25 weeks, they were super small. tucker, the other twin, was struggling, and charli, their daughter, was a little stronger, even though she was tinier—just over a pound. the next day, they held tucker as he passed away. charli is still fighting, even though she's been battling an infection that has proven to be stubbornly resistant to drugs.
Please pray for the vaughans…they have two girls (seven and five) and a son (three) at home, their daughter charli is all the way across town in the NICU, kelly is working hard to produce the best nutrients for charli, but is finding pumping to be difficult. and they're grieving the loss of their two boys.
This is such a sweet, gentle couple. very private, totally sold out in love with Jesus. i would love for them to know that people all over are praying for them, caring for them, and sharing their hearts.
please pray for charli to fight this infection. for the little hole in her tiny heart to resolve itself without surgery. for this infection to be eradicated. for her tiny lungs to mature so she can breathe on her own. for the rest of the vaughan children who have not yet met their sister. for kelly's milk supply. for adam as he leads his family. for their grieving process. for the enemy to stay the heck away from this family.
thank you, from the bottom of my heart.