Let me introduce myself, my name is

Honali (H-on-ah-lee). 

I grew up a country girl in Montana with horses, goats, and a dog.  I spent a lot of summers in the high country with my family on pack-trips roaming the Rocky Mountains.  I must say, it was pretty spectacular.  My parents were firm believers that learning from  life experience was just as important as  learning from a book.  I can honestly say, the things I learned growing up in those carefree summers stuck with me. I wish every child (and adult for that matter) could experience just one of those idyllic summers, to really disconnect from the fast pace of life, and reconnect with nature, and each other.  There is so much peace that comes from spending time in nature.  It tends to shift our focus and change our perspective to the wholesomeness of life.

My husband and I struggled with infertility. It was an emotional rollercoaster,  However, after a long wait,  we were blessed with our little miracle baby.  We were just settling into life with a newborn, a life changing phone call came.  One of the tests that had been run in the hospital was positive, they had found a genetic health abnormality called Phenylketonuria (PKU for short).  Within a couple days of that phone call we were at the metabolic clinic talking to the dietitian and genetic counselor.  They kept reassuring us that it was caught early and our daughter could live a normal and healthy life if we kept her on a very strict medical diet.  

The thing I remember most about the experience was the genetic counselor telling us that of “all” the conditions they screen newborns for, this is the condition to hope for because with diet, quality of life could be “normal”.  In that moment, there was not much to hang on to! But looking back, I can be thankful for many things;  I’m thankful for the blessing and miracle of my daughter. I'm thankful that she is healthy and can live normally with the help of a special diet and dedicated dietitians in her corner.  I'm thankful for the grace of God who gave us peace in a very tumultuous time.

I don’t know if it was the challenge to conceive or the genetic disorder my daughter has or a combination of both, but it has changed my perspective on children.  They are PRECIOUS and FRAGILE.  They NEED to be nurtured, loved, and poured into in a positive way by as many adults in their sphere of influence as possible. Kids are like delicate blossoms.  They want to thrive and bloom, and despite our mess ups, they usually do bloom. But do they bloom to their full potential?  Children are our future and we are responsible to give them the tools they will need to navigate this crazy messed up world with grace, love, compassion, dignity, integrity.  To live their best life with a resolve that cannot be swayed.