I'm Finally Doing This...

Starting a blog about my life as a mom of a son with HLHS, that is. I have to strive to make this my own space, and not a page about my child's journey per se. Some of the best travel advice I've ever received came from an HLHS dad who said of his daughter, "HLHS is her journey, not ours. Our journey is to be her parents."

Every day, I have to remind myself that HLHS is not my journey. I cannot live Kieran's life, and I cannot take on what he has to. But I can embrace my role as his parent.

Part of my journey is the desire to give hope to others along the way. My experiences traveling and living abroad have equipped me for my journey into the unknown and the less-visited areas on the parenthood map. My geographical travels have taught me that life is all about experiences and relationships; that it's not what you take (baggage), but what you take with you (experience, widsom, understanding). And of course, what you give.

A true traveler knows the journey never ends. That if you let it, the journey will continue to take you to places of surprise, coincidence, reflection, and meaning.

If I can make a difference in someone's life, I consider life worth living. I am thankful that I was able to help make a difference recently. I did not do it single-handedly, but that doesn't matter at all; in fact, I was glad to be in solidarity with other HLHS parents.

That's not to say that this blog is necessarily going to be all about hope and optimism. Watching Michael J. Fox's new show recently, Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, I wondered yet again why many of my friends think of me as an optimist. I am way too critical to be a true optimist. And way too honest. But I believe, in the HLHS community optimistic honesty is a virtue that is truly valued and appreciated.

No, this blog does not have pretenses at being a source of seasoned wisdom or a panacea for the many difficult issues parents of kids with HLHS face. Rather, it is the story of my own journey, which is a learning process, an online space I've finally created for myself on this pilgrimage.