Thank you Ms. Kris

It is with a heavy heart, that I sit here typing this morning. We found out yesterday that Rebecca's beloved Sunday School teacher, Ms. Kris, is very sick and in the ICU. On the way to church, Rebecca sat in the back seat happily babbling about getting to see Ms. Kris. When we went to drop her off, we were told the sad news. I had been dreading promotion Sunday in three weeks because it would mean that Rebecca would graduate out of Ms. Kris' room and into the preschool wing. I thought I would get a chance then to thank her, but it is very unlikely that she will be back by then. It is a terrible feeling to know that you have missed an opportunity to tell someone how much they have meant to you. I want Ms. Kris and all the other women in the HCC nursery to know what a blessing they have been to our whole family.


Dear Kris (and all the other wonderful women in the HCC nursery),

I would like to thank you all for the love and patience you have shown my little Rebecca. I know this is what you do for all the children and have been doing for years, but I would like to tell you why it has meant so much to our family. God made us wait a while for Rebecca. After a difficult and scary pregnancy, Rebecca was born 3 weeks early and weighing only 5 pounds 3 ounces...tiny but healthy. Praise God! The doctors and nurses kept a close eye on her, but even though she weighed barely as much as a sack of sugar, she was released to go home two days later.

Our first daughter weighed 8 1/2 pounds when she was born and has been in the 95th to 100th percentile for height and weight ever since. By contrast, Rebecca barely stays on the charts for weight. At 4 months of age she came down with a scary MSRA staph infection and at a year of age she was diagnosed with a life threatening tree nut allergy. To say we have been protective of her would be an understatement. When she turned two she had never been left with anyone outside our family. I felt it was time to start bringing her to church, but Chris and my mom had reservations because they knew Rebecca would have a difficult time being left. I worried about this myself, but I felt like it would be to her benefit in the long run. We started out with the Tuesday Mom's Bible Study. I prayed all the way to the church that first morning and when I handed her off to Ms. Eva, I was able to walk away knowing that she was in loving hands. After a few weeks, when Rebecca would happily talk about the sweet ladies who took care of her on Tuesday mornings, I knew my prayers had been answered.

The next step was to take her to church on Sunday morning. Because the Tuesday group is small and there aren't that many kids, I think Rebecca got a lot of extra attention when she needed it. Sundays are a whole different ballgame...lots and lots of kids. I wasn't sure how she would handle it. Rebecca was put in the squirrel classroom and it broke my heart to see her lip quivering, trying with all her might to fight back the tears when we handed her over. This is where Ms. Kris came in. That first Sunday, she held Rebecca and rocked her in the rocker. When we picked her up she told us how good she had been. She always welcomed Rebecca with open arms and it wasn't long before Rebecca was also excited about going to church on Sundays, as well as Tuesdays. Whenever we would pick Rebecca up from her classroom, Ms. Kris would tell us how sweet she was. She always made me feel like she really loved her. I want to tell her how blessed I feel to have had her in Rebecca's life. I want to tell her and the rest of the beautiful wonderful women in the HCC nursery how much you have all meant to me. Through you, my prayers were answered. Thank you for loving my baby girl.

God bless you all,

Kari