meet my friend, ayla.

for those of you who follow my blog, you may recognize ayla here.  :)  she's the 2 1/2 year old daughter of my dear friends, joel & kelly, and big sister to ayden.  and she was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

a couple of weeks ago, when they were home from the IWK - kelly messaged me on Facebook, asking if i'd be willing to come over and take some pictures of ayla.  you know, before she got puffy from steroids, started losing her hair and all that.  i immediately said yes.  i may not be able to fully understand what you're going through, friends, but i CAN take pictures.  :)

ayla did extremely well considering she'd be poked and pricked so many times the days before...  and in light of more poking & pricking today (she's having a bone marrow & spinal tap today), i thought i'd share a few captures of her.  :)

her auntie jo made her a 'welcome home' sign...  :)

if i'm being completely honest, this last photograph kinda haunts me.  but i think it truly depicts what a parent goes through when their child is sick.  you feel helpless, exhausted, brokenhearted...

praying for you all.  all my love.  xo.

--H

the faithful love of the Lord never ends!

His mercies never cease.

great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
 i say to myself, "the Lord is my inheritance...

therefore, i will hope in Him."

                                                             --lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)