"It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life."

Today we're not feeling so hot around these parts.

I am getting over a stomach bug that hit hard last night, and Adam just caught it this morning (so sorry love!)...thank goodness it's his day off, and thank goodness the Littles seem to be doing okay.  I forgot to mention in yesterday's post, about the weekend, that Brooks was sick on and off.  But being his resilient self, most of the time you would not have been able to tell.

So today we're all doing a lot of this...

This morning, even with my stomach churning and my body feeling extremely lethargic, this baby girl's squishy face and dimpled knuckles on my chest couldn't stop a huge grin from stretching across my face every time I looked down.

Ava is now laying by my side on the couch, kicking her strong little legs. Adam and Brooks are both asleep in dreamland. And I just finished reading Heaven Is Here. Remember when I was so excited to start reading it? Stephanie Nielson's upbeat, yet direct and real, writing was humbling to say the least. I cried, I laughed, I got butterflies reading about her relationship with her husband, and numerous times I felt a deep sense of gratitude to God for all I have in my life...simple blessings that bring me such joy.

I wanted to share one of my favorite passages from her book.  After sharing her experience on the pathway to recovery from a plane crash that burned over 80% of her body, creating numerous scars and some disfigurement...she said this:

"I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me, because I have learned--and more than any of the lessons of the accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody--that our hearts matter most.  Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others.  It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life."