Rowan can make sweet music, no matter what the circumstances...

One of the neatest things about our son Rowan is his ability to find the good in every situation, despite all the not so pleasant things he has to endure in his life due to his health. Whether he is stuck in the hospital, spending the day at the clinic or God-willing at home, Rowan can find a way to have fun! Today's blog will be short in words, but big on pictures, because I believe these photos will show you exactly what I mean. See Rowan loves to make music, especially by playing drums. He got an awesome light up blue flame drum set this Christmas. Of course he didn't get to open them up until New Year's Eve when he got out of the hospital, but the timing was perfect anyway. But before he was lucky enough to have this awesome drum set, I found pictures of him in the hospital on several occassions where he had made drums of his own. Once with some plastic spoons and sterile water bottles, and another time with some glow sticks and just his hospital bed. What I want you to notice (besides how cute he is:-) is the fact that if you didn't look at the background of any of these pictures, if you just focus on his face and smile, you really couldn't tell which times he was stuck in a hospital or which times were at home. He is happy as can be in ALL of them, and that's Rowan...happy in all situations...the good, the bad, the difficult...he is content always. Wish we all could be like that, don't you? On second look, what's also funny is how nothing stops him. In the pictures of him playing drums at home I just noticed two things. In one of them he has his back pack feeding pump on and he is just drumming away, and in the other one taken at home he has an iv antibiotic ball hanging around his neck! Yep, keep rockin Rowan and keep that positive attitude with you always! We could learn a lot from this kid.

Enjoy the pictures and remember to make your own sweet music this week, no matter what's going on in your life:-)

Another reason why we just know Rowan is an angel here on Earth...he's got connections!

This picture is a picture of Rowan holding a priceless photo of his very special friend Chrissie. Chrissie passed away 8 months ago, while hospitalized following major heart surgery. She was just 4 years old, like Rowan. Rowan tells us that he talks to Chrissie, see her in rainbows and sunshine, and misses her a lot. He calls her his "Girlfriend in Heaven". The interesting part is that Rowan never actually got the chance to meet Chrissie while she was alive.

Chrissie moved into the same PICU room that Rowan had just been in. He was moved upstairs and she went into PICU rm 1. Rowan started spiking a fever of 107 that night and was shaking all over, when he suddenly woke up looked at my computer and saw a picture of Chrissie fighting for her life on her Mom's blog, which I was reading. He said "Aww that little girl is here too. We should pray for her Mommy." and then he fell right back asleep. His fever broke and I went down to meet her Mom the next day and tell her we were praying for them. Over the next few weeks, while Chrissie and Rowan were both there in the hospital still, I took her Mom a few cards, a cross and some goodies and Rowan started coloring her pictures which I also took to her room. Every night before he would fall asleep he would say "Mom, don't forget to pray for Chrissie tonight too. OK?". And we did, every night for nearly a month, there with me kneeling beside his hospital bed, we prayed for Chrissie in her hospital bed just downstairs from us. Then when Rowan was finally getting discharged, I went down to say goodbye to her Mom and to tell her we would be continuing to pray. That night, Chrissie died, still there in the hospital. She had never even woken up since her surgery. See, I never got to actually meet Chrissie, just her Mom, and Rowan had never even seen either of them in person himself. But he knew about her, he drew pictures for her, he prayed for her every night and he looked at her Mom's blog with me. Somehow, a connection was made though, a God connection, because I'm telling you...that kid knows Chrissie now. Here are a few short stories that prove it to us. We love you Patterson family, thanks for sharing Chrissie's story so we could continue to see God working through her short but amazing life and through Rowan's miraculous connection to her!

Rowan and I both attended Chrissie's Celebration of Life. While we were driving there, he kept insisting that he needed to stop and buy her a baby doll. I told him we just couldn't do that and he was so upset. When we got there and we went up to the casket, Rowan asked me if he could see her. I wasn't sure how he'd react and especially because he had never had the chance to see her alive, but something just told me to let him look. Well, beautiful Chrissie was dressed head to toe in her best princess costume with her baby doll laying right beside her and Rowan smiled ear to ear, started crying and said "Oh Mom, I knew it, she's a princess! And look, it's ok, she has her baby doll so I know she's not scared to go." And I believe him.

At the beach this Summer Rowan asked me to write "We miss you Princess Chrissie" in the sand so she could see it up in Heaven. I did. Rowan said Chrissie hugged him back on the beach and that it felt pretty. I bet it did. A few hours later he saw a rainbow, beeamed from ear to ear, got tears in his eyes and said "Look Mom, Chrissie loved it!" He was just certain that she was sending him that rainbow as a sign of thanks. I believe him too.

While visiting Chrissie's gravesite, at her families ranch this past November, I took a picture of Rowan looking down at her gravesite. He told us he wanted to give her some love:-) Later when I finally downloaded the pictures on my computer (ironically 6 months to the day of her death) Rowan looked at the picture and immediately said "Oh there she is looking down at me." I said you mean you looking at her, and he said "No Mom, that's just where her body is, see the sunlight shining on me? There she is!" It was amazing. It had been a dark cloudy day, and there was no sun in any of the other pictures, except this one. It had a perfect beam of light right over his head shining down...incredible. Again, we believe him.

Rowan woke up in the middle of the night one night back in December and said "Mom, I need to make Chrissie's Mom and ornament for Christmas. It needs to have the sun and a rainbow and her horse and lots of flowers on it." I said sure, what made you think of that. He said "It's what Chrissie wants on it, so her Mom can know she is still around in all the things that are beautiful." You kinda gotta believe him.

We are forever blessed to have had the opportunity to meet Chrissie's Mom, to pray for her precious daughter, and to now call them our dear friends. Rowan's unique connection to Chrissie continues to bring us treasured stories like these, and we know that it is proof that God has a plan. We may not like what it looks like sometimes, but you can't deny that things happen for a reason and that good things can come out of bad times. Oh, and Princess Chrissie, we can't wait to finally meet you when we get to Heaven too:-)

To learn more about Chrissie and the awesome Patterson family visit her Mom's blog at allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com

Life is good, but Heaven is gonna be even better!

Here is a priceless conversation I had with Rowan this Saturday morning while we were still in bed. I hope it blesses you as much as it did me.

Rowan: Mom, I gotta get up, Zeke is barking and he wants me because he loves me.

Me:I love you too Rowan.

I know, a lot of people love me don't they?

Yes they do and do you know why?

Because I awesome, and I happy!

Are you always happy?

Well, there is only 3 things I don't like.

What is that?

I don't like pokes, or dressing changes or glycerin. Oh, or medicines that start with a n.

What?

You know, nasonex and nystatin! But its ok, I know you guys don't want to hurt me with all that stuff, you just have to do it. I forgive you.

So besides that stuff, life is good?

No, life is great! But I think heaven is gonna be even better.

Why?

Because in Heaven, I won't have a line or a tube anymore, and I get to see Chrissie and Harley and your Uncle Joe. And I'm pretty sure I will get to eat pancakes in Heaven.

God bless him...my little angel.

Well, here it goes...my first blog post... Friends and family have followed me on Facebook for a long time to see updates on our little trooper Rowan, and everyone kept asking me to start a blog for those people who aren't on Facebook. I finally decided I will give it a try. I hope this makes it easier to keep people updated on his story and that it spreads the circle of prayers covering him through all of his trials and brings more shouts for joy during all the moments of praises. There are lots of both where Rowan is concerned. He has spent pretty much half of his days inside a hospital or infusion clinic. He has fought over a dozen life threatening battles of sepsis, going into septic shock multiple times. On top of his primary diagnosis Rowan also has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, eosiniphilic disorder (severe protein allergy), Chiari brain malformation and hydrocephalus. He takes 26 doses of medicine a day, has bloodwork drawn weekly, and iron and ivig infusions monthly at least. Despite all of this, Rowan is a happy, well-adjusted, bright little boy who finds joy in EVERYTHING! He can find the good in everyone and every situation, and teaches us adults daily what it means to be happy and content. He has unbelievable faith in God, and instead of feeling sorry for his lot in life, he smiles at the smallest of things (Christmas lights, rainbows, ice cubes, a taste of watermelon), cries happy tears and says "I know God loves me!" I hope you enjoy my posts. They will all be about Rowan and I'm sure I'll quote him constantly, because he blows us away all the time with his wisdom beyond his years and his childlike faith. I hope his story helps you be more content in your own life, despite the troubles you may be facing. I believe that's part of God's plan for Rowan, to allow him to shine his light on us and teach us how to be happier in times of trouble...to trust God...to praise Him even in the rain.