Of all of the thousands of people that happened to be at the beach this weekend, Mother’s Day Weekend,
and of all of those who decided to go to Target on a Saturday night,
and of all of those who happened to be walking by the shoe section in Target, while my sister, Kate chased Mary Clare up and down the isles because Mary Clare thought the clicking of her brand new jelly shoes sounded fun as she ran as fast as she could on the hard floors of Target,
there was one person who just happened to know.
She first recognized Kate. As Mary Clare ran by, she was a mother that could also recognize a blueberry baby a mile away. She told her husband she had to wait outside of the dressing room, because she then recognized Mel as he waited for me. (Mel was in shorts and a T, so it was astonishing to him that she could do such a thing. Sometimes, even I don’t recognize him without his suit.)
As I came out of the dressing room, she began to cry. She knew me. She knew all about my blueberry baby because she too had a sweet blueberry baby. She has followed our story and watched Mary Clare grow. Her baby girl, Gracee, was born in 2006 at MUSC. She was thrown into the world of HLHS when she was 19 weeks pregnant with her baby girl, just like me. We had the same doctors, the same nurses. The same surgeon. My Mary Clare ran, laughing through the aisles of Target. But my new friend, Brandi wore a white and purple rubber bracelet with tiny wings bearing Gracee’s name. Gracee wasn’t with her. Gracee only lived to be 12 days old.
We immediately connected and began to discuss days in the hospital, medical staff we shared, heart moms we knew. She introduced me to her husband and her second baby girl who just had her 1st birthday last week. They were a beautiful family.
I am so thankful that we happened to drop into Target on a busy Saturday night at the beach. We were going to look at swim suits; Brandi needed aloe for sunburn. When I think back to all of the decisions that we made and changed and how the timing just had to be so perfect. I think that my new friendship isn’t quite by chance.
Today, Mother’s Day, I have a heavy heart as I think about my new friend and kindred spirit. I wish terribly that Brandi could have introduced Gracee to Mary Clare. That we could plan a play date with all four of our girls, not just three. I wish we could have scheduled a cardiologist visit on the same day to meet up in Charleston for lunch with our blueberry babies.
Thank you, Brandi for our new friendship and for telling me all about sweet Gracee. I will think of her often. Thank you for a precious reminder that today I should hug my girls a little tighter and relish in every single moment we share.
4 Comments
Brandi Leonhardt on May 11th, 2009
Oh my Gosh!! That is so sweet of you to include me on your page! Thank you so much! As I wipe the tears (again!!) – I totally forgot to tell you Happy Mother’s Day Saturday night! Mel and the girls did a wonderful job on the video – so sweet!! I have thought so many times before what I would say to you if it just so ever happened we ran into each other here at the beach. I am sorry- you probably thought I was crazy to come up to you like that – and I was almost at a loss for words. I started not wait on you to come out of the dressing room – but I am so very glad I did – I would have regreted it forever! I feel like part of your family for the past 2+ years – that is why I recognized you all! I was on Baby Center one night reading about HLHS and I came across your post. I wanted to write you so bad that night to tell you what a great group of doctors and nurses you were dealing with – but I knew I was the last person you would want to hear from at the time! I have read every entry since that night and I love keeping up with sweet little Mary Clare! Fate brought us together years later for a reason. How wierd is that? We had eaten at Broadway Sat. night and were going to walk around for a while – but changed our minds because it was getting late. I am hating my sunburn right now – but glad I needed that aloe Sat. night!! 🙂 You have a wonderful family and I am so glad I finally met you all! Thanks for talking to us in Target and allowing us to share our heart journey with you. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers – everyday is still hard to face – but Hadley keeps keeps me very busy! I thought of so much I wanted to say after we left Target – I turned into an emotional wreck when I saw you and MC. I didn’t even ask you where you guys were staying or for how long. I should have given you my cell # and email. I would love to keep in touch with you and please let me know the next time y’all are planning a trip to the beach – we have to get together and chat more! Talk to you soon!!
Give the girls a hug and tell Mel we said “hi”!
Brandi Leonhardt 🙂
Katie Allred on May 12th, 2009
Kerri-
That is amazing and only could God orchestrate the timing on you running into each other. Wow. The instant connection we have to other heart mom’s is so unique and special.
Love the beach pictures…as always, your beach babies are absolutely beautiful!
Love,
Katie
Rachel Medlin on May 13th, 2009
Kerri, that was no happenstance meeting. It was God’s plan that you and Brandi should meet. I know in my heart that you two will have a wonderful, lasting friendship. Thanks for sharing.
Love,
Rachel
Rebecca Butcher on May 11th, 2009
Oh that gives me chills! I am so glad you met!!! Brandi and I have emailed a few times and she seems amazing! I am so glad that God’s timing was perfect for that special relationship to be formed…maybe not this month or this year or for twenty years, but ONE DAY we will all be together with our little blueberry babies playing all around us…and we will ALL be perfect!
Love you, friend~ Rebecca