In nine days, we will leave for Belgium.

Brian, Riley, and I are making a pilgrimage to Geel, Belgium where St. Dymphna and Father Gerebern were martyred.

We are asking for complete healing for Riley. 

Do I believe he could be healed right here in Lantana, Texas? Of course.

Do I believe we have been led take a pilgrimage out of obedience? I do.

Today, we begin our journey in prayer – a novena.

What is a novena? A novena is nine days of prayer. It comes from the Latin word ‘novem’. We believe that the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost, where the apostles gathered and prayed together in the upper room, was the first novena.

We will spend nine days in intentional prayer asking for healing from Reactive Attachment Disorder and PTSD and any other illness that he has that has been diagnosed or misdiagnosed. We are specifically asking St. Dymphna to intercede for us.

We humbly ask that you join us in prayer for the next nine days. If you’d like to join our St. Dymphna novena, here is the link to the one we will be praying.

I love Riley with all of my heart. He has taught me about love, letting go of everything and being truly present, bravery, and the unseen journey so many walk.

He has taught me about being vulnerable and asking for help when we need it. I used to believe that we should hide our family’s hard times behind smiles or silence. But slowly I’m learning that hiding helps no one. It leaves everyone feeling alone and overwhelmed. It robs others of the opportunity to show mercy and grace and love us well.

Our neighbors in Arizona and Texas were always the exception. We knew they would hear and see beyond the “normal” family we were in public. Whenever we shared the path of hurt and healing we were on, they proved marvelously incredible humans. We’ve been on the receiving side of meals and knowing smiles, hugs and date nights.

Today, I invite you to join our family and our neighbors and see us for who we are and where we are.

 

(I asked him to take a picture at my grandmother’s house because his hair was absolutely stunning in the sunlight. He wasn’t mad in this picture – just being wonderfully artistic for me.)