"Prayerful Warrior Mom: Embracing Faith through the Storms of Your Child's Congenital Heart Journey" by Tracy A. Ripley is a deeply moving and practical guide for mothers facing the heart-wrenching reality of a child's congenital heart defect. Tracy Ripley, drawing from her own profound experiences, interlaces a narrative that combines personal storytelling with spiritual guidance, aiming to provide solace and strength to mothers facing similar challenges.
Ripley's journey through her child's diagnosis and treatment is filled with emotional highs and lows, and she shares these moments with raw honesty and vulnerability. Her story is one of unwavering faith, demonstrating how a strong spiritual foundation can provide the courage and resilience needed to face such overwhelming trials. She emphasizes the power of prayer, illustrating how it can serve as a source of comfort, guidance, and strength in the darkest of times.
The book also delves into practical aspects, offering advice on navigating the medical landscape, building a supportive community, and caring for oneself while caring for a child with special needs. Ripley addresses the emotional and psychological toll on families, providing strategies for managing stress, maintaining hope, and fostering a positive outlook despite the uncertainties.
Throughout "Prayerful Warrior Mom," Ripley weaves in biblical references and spiritual reflections, encouraging readers to lean on their faith as a source of empowerment. Her message is one of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of faith in the face of life's most challenging storms. This book is a beacon of light for any parent walking the difficult path of a child's congenital heart journey, offering both practical support and spiritual nourishment.
Letting go of anger, resentment and animosity toward others will free your heart of hate that does not come from God. The enemy whispers his lies in our ears causing us to doubt and filling us with negative thoughts. Staying stuck in the paralyzing state of self-blame and guilt keeps us from living our purpose. Learning to forgive and set that burden down was life changing and freed me to live my life as Christ intended.
As Thanksgiving is upon us, I am reminded of this story from 2022. It was the last Thanksgiving before I took an early retirement and a month before my nine-year-old son's 2nd open heart surgery. We had planned a fun and eventful holiday to be spent exploring the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee with family. Those plans came to a screeching halt the day before Thanksgiving when my family came down with the flu. My son was devastated and pleaded with us not to cancel our trip. We knew we had no choice. With the last-minute change in plans and our house filled with three sick people, we made the most of the situation and I remembered to find God's light in all of the darkness. When we feel that things are bleak and our world is being filled with disappointment and sadness, it is important to remember to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Infertility affects 8-12% of couples worldwide. The WHO estimates that 48 million couples live with infertility globally. It is a heart wrenching roller coaster for anyone who has ever dealt with it. I experienced this roller coaster of emotions for three years. Each month I was met with hope and anticipation until 28 days later, disappointment and grief would take over. This was a turning point moment when I learned one of the greatest lessons of my life: "Patience is Having Faith in God's Timing". Things do not happen when we want them to but in God's timing. And His timing is never late. His timing is always perfect! Secure a copy now to find out what happened next!
Bringing a life into this world is a most miraculous thing. Being in charge of providing a permanent name for that life is an important responsibility not to be taken lightly. Tracy and her husband Rob were not afforded the opportunity to give their son a name before he was whisked away from them. Taken to a completely different hospital to be monitored and have tests run on his tiny heart. The ability to bond with his mother stripped away from them. He lay in an incubator surrounded by premature babies as different nurses came and went ... none of them smelling like his mother. None of them loving him as only a mother could. His mother lay in a maternity ward in a nearby hospital surrounded by other mom's and their new babies. As she struggled to drown out the sounds of their infant cries, she longed to hear the sound of her own son's cry. Order your copy today and embark on a journey that will touch your heart and inspire your soul.
Mere moments after watching our youngest daughter meet her baby brother, we were told our infant had a congenital heart disease (CHD). This was the moment our family was thrown into a world we never knew existed and dropped me to my knees in prayer. My son had been evaluated by a dozen doctors and nurses over the last 14-hours and no one had mentioned a murmur. Until one nurse, an angel sent by God, detected the murmur - not just a murmur but a harsh murmur. This set into motion a series of tests, evaluations and monitoring that separated an infant son from his mother, depriving them of their critical time to bond. To make matters worse, a miscommunication between the medical staff resulted in the family being told their baby was being taken away just as the transport team had arrived leaving the mother and father to explain to their 4-year-old daughter why her brother was whisked away.
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