In the last year or so I've accumulated a list of blogs that I check on a pretty regular basis. Most of them have a parenting theme, and I'm especially drawn to families who blog honestly and live beautifully. So it was no surprise that I would be head over heels for Stephanie Nielson's NieNie Dialogues. She's a mother of 4 young children from Arizona. Her sweet kids, funky style and humor never failed to make me smile.
I haven't been checking up on my blogs as much recently, so it was with shock and great sadness that I discovered the other day that Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were involved in a horrific plane crash on August 16th. Christian's flight instructor was killed in the accident, while Stephanie and Christian sustained severe burns (Stephanie was burned on over 80% of her body, Christian was burned on over 30% of his).
I can't help but imagine myself in Stephanie's situation. My heart goes out to their extended family, who in the midst of their own great sadness get up each morning and lovingly care for Stephanie and Christian's children. I think of Stephanie not being able to touch her children, and I spend the extra moments of my day when I would normally be scurrying about just sitting with my babies, smelling their hair or holding their hands. I feel compelled to do something for them, so I thought I would share with you.
First and foremost, I will be holding them up in prayer each and every day. I have also made a financial donation to their recovery. They are looking at months, if not years of rehabilitation, with medical costs in the hundreds of thousands. If you are interested, donations can be made through Nie Recovery. They also have a link to several silent auctions and benefits that are being held on behalf of Stephanie and Christian. As Stephanie is a fabulously artsy kind of gal, there are some equally fabulous things up for auction. If you would like to stay up-to-date on their recovery and how the kids are doing, Stephanie's sister is doing so on her blog CJaneRun.
And last but not least, give everyone you hold dear an extra long hug today.
