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Tommy 
October 27, 2003-October 13, 2004
We miss you!!
Journal
Sunday, March 15, 2009 7:14 AM CDT I have known Nanci, since our kids, Meghann and Zackari, were in the three year old preschool class at Prince of Peace together.
Nanci and her family also attend our Church.
When Tommy passed away, I found a card in my mailbox. In the card was the gift of a month of free yoga lessons. (Nanci is a yoga instructor). She wanted to help, and she wrote that it was her hope that her classes would offer me some sort of healing and peace. I accepted her very generous gift, and I enjoyed her classes. (Grief, yoga, and healing could be the subject of another blog).
Our Church has a twin parish in Haiti, which is very near and dear to Nanci's heart, especially the children there. They live in severe poverty.
St. Anne’s Maissade, Haiti is the twin parish linked with St. Nicholas. Our church has visited our twin parish and support and continues to support projects to increase the self-sufficiency of the Haitian people.
Pere Leveque is the pastor of St. Anne's in Haiti. When Tommy passed away, our own priest was out of town, and Pere Leveque was filling in for him. So it was Pere Leveque who came to our aid, when we Tommy's surgery suddenly went very bad, and we were praying for a miracle.
We sent him away, when it looked like the worst was over.
He came back when the unthinkable happened. And he was there when we held our precious baby boy in our arms after he passed away.
Tom asked Pere Leveque to pray for Tommy, in his native language. And he did. I am not sure what he said, but his language sounded like a song to me.
(I know I am jumping back and forth here...and probably not making sense, please bear with me)
Nanci wanted/wants to raise money for the children of Haiti. The children there live with severe poverty. Over 70f the Haitian people live below the poverty level. 10f them die before they are 4. Half of the Haitian people are illiterate. How can one look away, and not help these desperate and innocent children?
Four years ago, after much prayer and reflection, she started to write a children's book to help raise money for the children of Haiti. It has been her labor of love.
Her book is about a baby angel, who teaches her own children, 7 lessons about life. One of these lessons is acceptance of all children who have Down syndrome, and that we all are more alike then different.
In one of the chapters she includes Meghann. Meghann plays with her brother Tommy, doing all the fun things they used to do, when he was alive.
Anya is included in the epilogue.
The baby angel is Tommy.
The book was illustrated by the daughter of her dear friend, who is a gifted artist. Payton was 11 at the time. They borrowed our photo album that was created by my friend, Amy after Tommy passed away. This book is one of my most precious possessions because it holds my favorite pictures of Tommy. I was so busy caring for Tommy, I didn't have time to make a photo album of his life. Peyton and Nanci borrowed other books that I had on Down syndrome. They scoured the Down Syndrome Association of Hampton Roads website for more information and pictures. It was important to both of them, that they got it right.
A children's book. Illustrated by a child. To help a child. Isn't that AWESOME.
When Nanci discovered that the market was flooded with children's book and was having difficulty finding a publisher, she didn't let that stop her. Nanci became her own publisher and is self publishing her book. And just listening to all the work that goes into that, is so mind boggling. There is so much that needs to be done to publish a children's book. She has taken computer classes, downloaded special software for her computer....learned how to use her computer. :) She has spent hours and hours on this book, her labor of love. When there were roadblocks to finishing her book, she prayed about it, and the roadblocks were removed.
She learned it was on God's time that this book would be shared with others....not on her timeline.
So many people have had a hand in and helped Nanci with her labor of love.
Her publishing company's website goes up next week.
Her book will be printed and ready in two weeks. (Wouldn't that be awesome if it could be ready on March 21st, which is World Down Syndrome day.)
I spent a rainy Friday afternoon at Nanci's enjoying some warm coffee, as I read the book on her computer. I was moved to tears.
I know you will be too.
45f the proceeds from the sale of her book will go to the the building of a school for these beautiful children in need to give them a future. When Pere Leveque was asked what the children needed most, he said that the children needed to be educated, so that they can help themselves.
To have independence and dignity...isn't that what we all want?
Tommy will continue to touch the lives of others.....through Nanci's book.
What a gift.
More about the book to come, as I get it.
I know you will want to have a copy!!
Read Journal History
Links: http://www.peacefulrosepublishing.com Nanci's book, "Sinclairs outdoor cafe"
http://www.caringbridge.org/va/markf We will never forget Mark!!
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