Laurie Wirz

Dear Leslie, when Catie was 18 months old, she still hadn't learned to walk. I was concerned about her, but my pediatrician told me it was "normal," and we just kept encouraging her. She finally did, just a few weeks later. What I didn't know then was that Catie had Juvenile Arthritis, and walking would have been painful for her. There are many lessons I have learned and am learning from my sweet baby girl having an as yet incurable illness. First, I needed to pay attention. I couldn't have known at 18 months that Catie had arthritis, but I needed to be more interested in her and her timing than in what was "normal," by any book. Second, be my child's best advocate. Children can't survive in a world of adults. They need an adult to speak for them, to speak with them. Your child needs to know that they have someone "in their corner" always. Third, allow your child to learn his/her own lessons. That can be excrutiatingly painful, but Catie has learned to rely on the Lord through her pain and suffering in ways I could never have taught her by just "telling" her. Fourth, just as in this picture, walk with your kids. Let them take those steps with you before you let them stand and fall. Give them an opportunity to lean on you when they need to. And fifth, Heavenly Father doesn't mess around with families. This child is coming to you because you are the best mother for him. And because he will teach you things that you could learn in no other way. Those are just some of the lessons I have learned. Being a mother is the single greatest opportunity I have had in this life. It is the only career that really matters to me, and regardless of how my children "turn out," it is the greatest gift Heavenly Father has given me. May the Lord bless you as you become a mother. I'm so excited for you and your little one! With love, Laurie Wirz