Dear Tyler,

Hi my sweet son. How are you doing on this Thursday evening? Mom is doing as well as expected. I am so sorry that I didn't have a chance to write to you last night but I know you already saw what we went through all day yesterday & during the night. It was & still is awful. I am having a hard time dealing with it right now but I am trying to really stay strong. We started the 1st leg of our trip to NH. We are in Arkansas tonight & will head out again in the morning for another 8 hours. The weather was good. No issues there at all. Just got colder as we were going North. It is pretty cold here for us...lol! Snickers did great the whole trip. Just towards the end he got to be a wiggle worm. While we we driving I saw a sign that said Tyler. It came up so quickly I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it but I sure will on the way coming back. I know you were with us today. Thank you & I ask that you continue to be with us throughout the whole trip. I will try to write to you again tomorrow night but I am not sure where we will be staying. We are just doing it nightly without booking anything. If I don't do it Friday then I will write you a letter Saturday & all throughout our trip. I know that you will understand this too. It is not easy making a trip like this let alone with a pet & all the other issues too. Remember all the Florida trips? Ugh... the drive was awful but you were such a trooper. I was so proud of you. Every day I was proud. I still am proud & I will always be proud of you my sweet precious son!
 I have a couple daily prayers to write to you & then I need to head to bed so I can try & get some sleep tonight. Here is the 1st one for the night: December 17~Love....bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things. Father in heaven, thank you for creating the kind of love that can hope all things. Without that kind of love, a new mother of a disabled child wouldn't have the strength to get up in the morning. Without that special kind of love, the young spouse of a deployed solider wouldn't have the courage to make plans for " when he gets home." A love that hopes is a love that knows you are in control. It's a love that knows that when we place our hope in you, our love can endure any & all circumstances. We are to hope all things because we love you & you love us. Thank you, Father. Our hope is in the goodness & justice & power of God. Oh wow.. this prayer hits me personally. I do indeed thank you God for all the strength that you gave me through the years as I was caring for Tyler. He drew strength from me which in return I drew it from you. I wouldn't have had it any other way! Thank you for loving me so much to care for Tyler. I love him & you with all my heart. Amen.
 December 18~ I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. O Lord, how we anticipate & welcome your life-giving rain on our parched land! What a blessing it is when you open your storehouses & send us the right amount of moisture to make our crops grow & our rivers flow! I know there are blessings in every season, but it's harder to be grateful for the dry times. Even you are with us, & so we still thank you for the blessing of water. How it refreshes us! To embrace the gifts each day brings is to acknowledge that the Creator never walks away from his creation. Everything is a blessing that you give us daily. Every step we take, every breath we breathe...everything! Thank you for them all whether it is in good times or in bad times. Amen.
 It is getting late my sweet boy. I must close this letter now & try & lay down & get some rest. Please be with us tonight. I hope you have a restful & peaceful night yourself. Sweet dreams to you, Tyler. I miss you so much & I love you to the moon & back & all the way around the world. I will whisper to you as I walk Snickers tonight. Hope you can hear Mom & will listen out for me. You will forever be in my heart, mind, & soul.
 Always.... Mommy xoxoxo. Muah!