Journey with Jesse: A Letter to YOU

Dear Reader,

 It has been almost 3 years since my son, Jesse, was given to me by birth, and it has been almost 2.5 years since he was taken from me. 

When I say "taken," it is more of an expression about how I feel sometimes. I'll explain:

For reasons that only God alone can give, my Jesse was taken from this earth and from my arms as he died at 3 months of age.

Dear reader, please know that even as I write these words, my heart is genuinely filled with fear on top of my grief. It has taken me a long while to write out my story...his story....and my journey with child loss. 

My number one fear is that my experience, although tragic, cannot even compare to others' tragedies. Therefore, please know that I acknowledge that my suffering may be more than some, but it is also certainly not as severe as the suffering of many. This blog is not ever intended to invite sympathy or attention to myself. 

 My second fear is that my vulnerability (and just so you know...I hate that word) will be in vain. I am going to share some very intimate feelings and experiences with you, dear reader, as I write about my journey with my precious baby boy. I know that I cannot control how you will react to my words or my story. I ask that if my story and my words offend you that you will choose to leave this blog and not give me or my blog any attention. This blog is not ever intended to hurt or offend anyone, and it is not inviting criticism or arguments. 

Since I have already listed my fears about sharing this story and my "unintended" points, I will also tell you my true intentions and my hope in sharing my story with you. I have let my fears stop me from writing out my journey with Jesse, but the Word of God speaks out against fear. I am choosing to not let fear hold back my testimony, or Jesse's, any longer.

My intention is to show how God was and is glorified in my personal tragedy. I want to share how a very weak person (me!) was given great strength from the Almighty. I want to share how my son's short life brought tremendous blessings to others and glory to our God. I want to remind you how precious life is. I want to bring you hope.

I am writing this from my heart, with my point of view, but this story is not really about me. This is about my Heavenly Father, my Savior, my Lord, my God - the Great I Am. This is also about a beautiful vessel of God, my son. 

I pray that my humble story will bless you. 


Sincerely,

Joy Williams (Jesse's mama)


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