goodbye sweet boy

As told by Waylon's parents:

"Let the children come to me, and not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:12

Waylon has gone home to his Father in Heaven. We were blessed to watch over one of God's children for a short time. Our son was surrounded by unending love and devotion. We can't thank our family and friends enough for their love and devotion to us and to Waylon throughout these last six months. Please pray for all the families and for Waylon.
We will celebrate his life on Friday, 11am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Okeechobee. At 10 am we will receive family and friends.
Will and Lauren

If you are still interested in helping the family, please don't hesitate to contact Sam or me. Here is a link to more information.

Out of the Hospital!

Sam is home! Thank you for all of the thoughtful well wishes, messages and prayers of support. He's feeling much better, and will be taking Arixtra (sort of like Coumadin) for the next few months. We will be headed over to Moffitt next week for his one year check-up. This is a very big deal for a transplant patient. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Again, thank you so much.

admitted

Sam's been admitted to the hospital with a blood clot near his left lung. Though he really doesn't want to be here, it's a blessing it was found and treated before anything terrible happened. They want to keep him here for a bit for monitoring and to possibly find where it came from. Let's pray for his medical team here at Indian River Medical Center and for strength and peace for Sam. Did I mention he really doesn't want to be here?  :)

hey, it's just like old times....

Back in the ER

We are back in the ER for the second time this week. Sam has sharp pain on his left side when he breathes, and, as most of us know, if he's complaining about pain it must be bad. They've started an iv and will be running some tests and scans. Please pray this is something minor, and we will be home soon. And...happy wedding day Derek and Lauren!!

                                               

hope

Meet Baby Waylon

Hello friends. I just wanted to take a minute to introduce you to a very special little boy. Meet Waylon Robert Butler.

He's an incredibly smart baby, listens intently to everything you say, and adores Mickey Mouse. He's the son of our good friends, Will and Lauren Butler. Here they are at Waylon's baptism.

Some of you might remember them from our wedding.

Waylon was recently diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, a genetic disease for which there is no cure.  Obviously, their world has been turned upside down. There is currently a fundraising effort going on to help with some of their growing medical bills. Sam and I are selling raffle tickets for a weekend Hog Hunt out at Barthle Brothers Ranch. Tickets are $20 each or 8 for $100. If you donate $100 you'll also get a handmade pie courtesy of Tripson Pie Co. This could be yours...

So please email, facebook, call or text Sam or me if you're interested. Every dollar helps. And please, please keep this beautiful family in your prayers.

have you heard this?

I recently read an article about Holly Williams (Hank's granddaughter) in the latest Garden & Gun and knew I had to hear her music. I downloaded The Highway this morning and put it on while I cleaned the kitchen. My, my, my. "A Good Man" had me wiping away tears as I scrubbed the microwave, and "Waiting on June" left me sobbing at the sink. Either this is one incredibly honest, soulful album or I'm an emotional train wreck. I suspect it's a bit of both.