A Community of Celebration

We all find ourselves as part of greater communities. Sometimes this is related to where we live, our occupation, religious beliefs, kid's sports,etc. I have found myself as part of the heart family community . It s an amazing community full of strength , hope, courage and support. It is also a community of suffering, sadness and loss. Now, these aren't the overarching feelings this community exudes. It is typically full of positivity, but this week,like many others, my community has experienced loss. This , of course, hits close to home for all of us and is a reminder of the reality of what it means to have a "heart warrior."
For me, this is just a reality check. You see,there are occasionally days that I forget.( it took 9 years for that to happen!) Over the past few weeks, we have celebrated my mom.'s retirement , held Hayden's birthday party, held our Eigth Annual Hayden's Heart Heroes Golf Tournament , celebrated Hayden turning 9( woohoo!!!!) , celebrated my mom's 65th birthday and are celebrating my dad being able to gain some mobility and walk steps  and be cane-free( he climbed into the bug, yesterday!) These celebrations  make me believe , for a few moments or hours, that we have forever. For that, I am beyond thankful . I want to have those times when I am not focused on H's CHD, but on just living life. The forgetting is so nice. But, it isn't reality. My community reminds me of reality as I watch new parents struggle as they join this community and prepare to face the challenges and uncertainty and reminds me, again, as we watch  one of  of our own, a brave heart warrior, gain wings. ( this one is like a punch in the stomach.)
So, what do I take away from this? ( sigh) I become more aware of the reality my family may one day face and I am reminded of how important those celebrations are. And, selfishly, I am reminded that I have today to laugh with, hug, kiss, and fuss at my boy. It wasn't us and for that I am grateful. But the thoughts of another family in my community suffering this loss will not be far from my thoughts.
I am thankful to have joined this community  because I know they are a community of celebration ; celebrating amazing heart warriors as they live with their families , but also celebrating the lives they lead as they gain their wings.