Out of the mouths of babes...

One of our dear friends daughters had this comment about Lil Will. Her name is Hannah.

She shared her thoughts with her mom on why God took Lil Will to heaven. She said, "She understood why he went to heaven.....God couldn't wait any longer to kiss those cheeks."

Probably true! We all loved those chubby cheeks!!!

Thanks Hannah!

Lil Will's room....

Last week, William and I were talking about what to do with all of Lil Will's stuff, the stroller, the carseat, the clothes, the bed, the chair, the dresser...OMG, this little munchkin was so loved and had soooo many things! Much love to each of you!! William said he wanted to set Lil Will's room up. I agreed, let's do it. BUT, when would we be ready to do it? Today was the day, Melinda came over and helped me organize, well, actually, she did it all, I just told her where to put it or just sat there looked at Lil Will's blankets, stuffed animals or just smelled his clothes. Some of his little mittens still smell like him, I just want that smell to last forever. Its those tangible things you miss the most. I can look at picture or videos but the feel of his hand holding your finger or looking at his eyes as he gazed into yours or holding him, those are things I miss the most. I know I can still do all of those things in my dreams but right now the dreams just aren't enough! His room is clean and organized. William just has to put his bed back together. We hung up pictures, pictures that hold his hand and foot prints, pictures of his sonograms and his name. His room looks great! I know that once the bed is back up and the bedding is in it, I will spend more and more time in there. It will become my sanctuary. I am certain. I will have many conversations with the Lord and Lil Will while in there. It will be peaceful. Thanks Melinda for being such a wonderful friend! You have been there for me and my family and I want you to know that I love you very much! You are blessed and will continue to be blessed. You will not have room enough to receive the blessings that are being stored up for you!

What a Blessing!

Most of you may or may not know but, William and I moved into a new home on June 26. Lil Will was instrumental in the purchase of our home. As you know he was in renal failure and had chronic lung issues, both of these ailments required he be on machines. The renal department had to conduct a home visit before he could be released home to us on his machine. We knew at that moment that we could no longer continue to live in our current rent house. It was built in the late 60's or early 70's but we knew the electrical outlets were not GCI ready & probably would cost a lot to have the house re-wired. Something we certainly did want to ask the landlords to do since we knew we didn't want to stay in the house for many years to come. We did not want to break our lease, it ends 11/1, we obviously still have to pay that $950 (thru 11/1) plus whatever our mortgage would be, on get this, on ONE income, but the Lord told us He would provide. So, we set out to find a home to bring our angel home to. The Lord led the way, we followed and He blessed us, far beyond measure! So, the renal team came out to inspect the house, during their home visit, they looked for outlets that were GCI ready, making sure the room didn't have a ceiling fan (no drafts - decrease infections), easy access to bathrooms, during dialysis, we have to wash our hands for 3 minutes during all phases of dialysis. They also looked for windows in what would be Lil Will's room that allow for easy access in case of emergency. The house passed home inspection. We were ready to bring him home! BUT, you see God already knew what plans He had for Lil Will, he knew Lil Will would never make it home to this earthly home he blessed us with but He knew we needed a place to call our own so we could fully celebrate Lil Will's life. It had to be a place where we could put pictures of him up that would not have to be taken down and packed up when our lease was up. He wanted to give us places of sanctuary inside our home where we could be with Lil Will. I know that everything happens for a reason, God has been leading our lives since the day we met and we welcome all He has in store for us as we continue along this journey with him. Ain't God good!!! YES, he is, yes he is!!!

Today, we celebrate 7 months.....

These pictures were taken between 1/17 - 1/25.................

Again, these pictures show our journey, they show Lil Will on fluid overload, they show him intubated, sedated, awake etc. BUT, what they show the most is how we had to stand on God's promises, we had to hold to His word and He provided for Lil Will everyday of his life. Just like He will provide for you and your families. One of the important lessons to learn when you are in the midst of a storm is to just stand firm in your faith. Know God has not left you or forsaken you, He is there beside you. At church tonight, the minister reminded all of us, we are God's chosen ones and when you are in a storm to never loose heart!

Today, Lil Will would have been 7 months old, if he were here, we would have taken pics to mark this occasion but we still continue to celebrate his life. Starting next month and on the 28th of every month thereafter until his birthday, we will release balloons in his memory. Each balloon will have a picture of him that includes his blog site. We pray the people God intends to find these balloons will and Lil Will's story will continue to save lives and bring others closer to the Lord. We are going to release the number of balloons that correspond with the month, (i.e. 8 - August, 9 - September etc.) Lil Will is playing in Heaven but we will continue to share his story and spread the good news of our Lord!! Praises to Him!

More pics of our lil munchkin....

These are random pictures taken between January 6 -11, 2009.........

O taste and see that the Lord is good. As you look at these pictures of Lil Will, I want you to think about the goodness of God. See the miracles he performed on Lil Will everyday. He was on fluid overload but God reduced his fluid level in His time. He was on so many drugs, to keep him asleep, to reduce the pain, to lower his blood pressure and the list goes on. BUT, nobody but the Father was able to remove the dependency his body had for these drugs. He did it! If God can do this for Lil Will, can you just imagine what He can do for you if you would just ASK! What are you in need of today? Healing? Financial breakthrough? Peace? Health? ASK Him, He is waiting......

Lil Will our angel......

These pictures were taken between 12/28/08- 1/4/09....

Just wanted to share some more pics of Lil Will. I have been going through the thousands and thousands of pictures we took of him. We are so blessed that we captured him in so many cute pics, poses, faces. We can look at him whenever we want to. When I figure it out I will add some of the video we have of him as well. I will post new pics they will start from the beginning of his life....ENJOY our angel!

And the Lord spoke...

I wanted to share with you what the Spirit of the Prophecy Bulletin said today. All I can say is THANK you Lord!!! Hallelujah!


SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- July 24, 2009:
Take time to be thankful, for there is power for blessings in thanksgiving. Stir up your gratitude by remembering what I have done for you, says the Lord. In so doing you will enter the realm of My presence and stand in holiness before My throne. There is nothing more pure in the kingdom than a grateful heart. Bring your perfect sacrifice of praise and be blessed.

Psalms 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Our sweet lil boy..

We have laid him to rest. We have celebrated his life with family & friends, what a joyous time we had. He was our sweet angel on earth but now he is singing, and playing with the other angels in heaven. He is sitting on the lap of Jesus. Most of all, he is free of any pain. We thank God for this. We miss him so much but we know we will be reunited with him one day soon! We now have our own very special angel. He will watch over us always.

Releasing Balloons to reach the masses...

Here we just as Lil Will's memorial service ended, releasing balloons in his memory. Each balloon held a picture of Lil Will and his blog site. Our hope is the balloons will reach the people God intends so Lil Will's story can help someone or strengthen their relationships with the Lord.

Lil Will's Godmother......SHE DID IT!!

Well, all that medical stuff for his dialysis has been discarded! (look at the pics) Lil Will's Godmother stayed up late the night before his memorial punching holes in the dialysate bags, draining them in the sink and tub. Breaking down boxes of other supplies. She got rid of everything for us. Servanie, we appreciate it so much and love you very much. Thanks!!!

Oh, isn't God good?

You know I was thinking about how far God brought us and Lil Will... AND how Lil Will was a living testimony to everyone he came in contact with, daily. And I also thought about how Lil Will & our Father were able to show the doctors that although medical books predict one outcome and what they thought should be the outcome for Lil Will, was not what God intended. I was thinking back to the early days of Lil Will's life and how some didn't think he would survive the anesthesia during his first surgery on 1/8/09. I cried and cried that day, I had a knot in the pit of my stomach, I was afraid but I prayed. I asked God to cover my baby and keep him safe. He did! God did this for our family on numerous occasions, surgery #2, #3, heart catherization, ear tubes and the list goes on. This is how I know God is able, He will not fail you. You may say, well, Lil Will is gone now, so God did fail. NO! He did not! He gave Lil Will an assignment, Lil Will fulfilled it and God came and took him home. His Godmother said it best, "We will never know how many lives Lil Will saved in his short 6 months & 18 day life." It is not for us to know, God knows and He is pleased. God is good!

Preparing to celebrate Lil Will's life........

Today, we are leaving to go to Lil Will's grandparents house so we can prepare to lay his earthly dwelling to rest. As some of you may or may not know, my dad has a farm with several hundred acres and years ago, a plot of land was set aside and all necessary legalities done & named Myers Cemetary. My paternal grandparents and uncle are laid to rest out there and now our angel Lil Will will take his place. William and I selected the area where he will be laid to rest, it is beautiful, it is under a tree. That was an emotional moment but God reminded me, AGAIN, that it is his earthly body, his spirit is with the Lord and with us everyday. His resting place, it is just a place for us, the ones who are left behind to visit. After we picked out his place we then went to the funeral home to make those arrangements. We saw him, he looked so good, it was amazing to me how much at that moment he looked at peace. I know he had to be in pain during these past 6 months but he fought, he fought with us everyday. God knew what Lil Will's assignment was and it is complete. Hard for me in my humaness to understand but in my spiritual life, I know our God is sovereign. He makes no mistakes.

Our God is Sovereign....

What do you do when you have spent the last 7 months at the hospital with your son and now he has gone? Or you have $14,000 dollars worth of dialysis supplies that you cannot send back because once its delivered to a patients home it is against the law. So, now we are left to discard of his supplies! The Lord will direct us when it is time to discard of it. Although, we both feel like we should be doing something. (not that!) We are making plans for his home going celebration and remembering him. We had some wonderful times with our lil Will. We laughed at him and with him, we smiled, we cried, we prayed and we are so very thankful for our time. We know he is resting in the arms of our Father. He is playing, laughing, and just living life without tubes, (boy did he despise that darn NG tube!), he is pain free. Praise Jesus!

Lil Will's earthly body will be placed to rest in Oakwood, TX on 7/21. His funeral services will be at @ 11:00 AM at Grant's Chapel AME Church, 712 West South Street, Palestine, TX 75801. The funeral home is Emmanuel Funeral Home, 1721 West Oak St, Palestine, TX 75801 and interment will be at Myers Cemetery in Oakwood, TX.

A public memorial service for William will be on Thursday, July 23rd @ 2pm at
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 920 E. 14th St., Plano, TX 75074.

In lieu of flowers you can make a donation to Children's Medical Center Dallas, the memo line of the check needs to say "In Memory of William Myers-Carlisle", please mail the check to Children's Medical Center
2777 North Stemmons Fwy
Suite 700
Dallas, TX 75207

Children's will send you a Thank You letter for your tax deductible donation and will also send a letter to us informing of your donation without the monetary amount. We have earmarked any funds donated in Lil Will's memory be utilized for other ICU families. We know what financial strains having a child hospitalized can place on families. God blessed our family to be able to weather this storm but many others do not have the resources or support of loved ones. We are truly blessed and want to be a blessing to others.

Well done thy good and faithful servant.......

Today, Lil Will was called home at 11:02 AM by our Father. his work here on earth is complete. He touched so many lives including ours while we were blessed with his presence. He taught us how to live one day at a time and depend on our Father no matter what the circumstances. He was our lil angel on earth. We miss him dearly but we must all remember God gives us our children for a time, they are HIS, on loan to us. To love, to cherish and rear in the way the Lord wants us to. We know that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. Our hearts are full but we know he is resting well and is in no more pain. Our dear sweet Lil Will touched us all. We are in the process of planning his home going celebration, a celebration of his wonderful life. We will post it to the blog as soon as the arrangements are final. All praises to God for allowing us the privilege to be Lil Will's parents. We thank you Lord!

Lil Will approves of his new digs...

A picture is truly worth a thousand words! He smiled and giggled all afternoon! Again, we say, THANK you Lord!!

We made it.....OCH...(Our Childrens House)......

Here is Lil Will arriving at OCH, yeah! Most of the rooms here are semi private but because of his dialysis, he was able to get a PRIVATE room! Of course, they warned us that our stay at Children's would be like a hotel and OCH was nothing like this. Correct! However, the staff is great and they are ready to make sure we are trained. We already had our first training session, gee, can we get used to the new digs before we have to learn something! Today, we learned how to bag him, YES, I said bag him, give him oxygen, and YES, we did practice on him not a dummy. We learned how to suction (already learned at CMC) but using a different suction device. Finally, we began learning the vent. By the time we leave, each of us will be able to change his trach and trach ties by ourselves! I am terrified! Can I really do this all by myself!?? I know I can but it is a bit overwhelming! I'm thinking I may need to be a nurse or respiratory therapist, I should at least get paid for doing all of this, huh! HA! HA! We will do anything we have to, so we can properly care for our lil pumpkin! Guess what, our respiratory trainer mentioned the docs told her to have us trained and outta there within 3 weeks! 3 weeks!!!!!! Of course, she said that Lil Will is the driver so we will have to do what he allows us to do. =) =) We will keep you posted!!

and.....the Children's Transport team arrives.......Yippee!!!! We are really outta here!!!

OMG! When are they going to arrive??? Finally at 12:30 PM, they pull up to his door, with a stretcher all ready to pick him and head to Baylor Our Children's House. Pinch me, pinch me, are you sure, we are really leaving Children's? YES! YES! We are leaving......outta here!! So many nurses and other staff, said, you already paid for the room, why don't yall stay until the end of the month?!?**%%$$ ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? As much as we have come to love some many of Lil Will's caregivers, we will holla atcha later!! Maybe we can see you at a restaurant or the mall or better yet come visit...BUT, we are OUT!! Thank you Lord! Above are the pics of him being loaded up into the GIANT ambulance. I got to ride with him, in the front seat, not in the back. He enjoyed the ride and was a very good boy. The one thing, many of you may not have thought about but today was the first day, our baby, felt the sun on his skin, saw the sky (albeit, briefly), felt the breeze (oh, who am I kidding, there was no breeze but you know what I mean!). It was great! He looked up, the sun was too bright and he closed his eyes! What a moment, it was completely priceless! The ride over was uneventful, he just looked around while the respiratory therapist rubbed his head. What a monumental milestone in the Carlisle Families life and all of you who have walked along this journey with us!

Jonda, one of God's angels.....

It wasn't Jonda's regular scheduled day to work but on 12/30/08, she was called to come in. I don't believe it was to necessarily care for Lil Will, or at least that probably wasn't the intention of the charge nurse. However, we know who is in charge! God handpicked Jonda to care for Lil Will and become a part of his care team while he was in PICU. Over the past 6 months, Jonda has taken care of him, she has shared recipes (great gourmet chef!), she has shared her faith with us and always spoke words of faith and healing over Lil Will. She and my dad have talked about growing veggies, working on the farm, funeral home business and much more. Jonda became our friend. We pray for her as she prays for us. We know God sent her to us on 12/30 to walk along this faith journey He had in store for us. We thank God for the journey and for sharing Jonda with us! The pictures you see above are of Jonda with Lil Will on 1/1/09 and again, today, 6 1/2 months later, and you go about daily life without recognizing Him! I say, how can you! HE is almighty, HE is a healer, HE is the great physician, HE can do all things. But, He does just what He says He will do in HIS timing, not man's! All praise to the most high!

As I write this post, I am so full of joy, thanksgiving and adoration to my Father who has shown us what the manifestation of His word can do. He can do exceptionally more than any of us can ever imagine. We are heirs to His throne, everything He has is available to us. We must depend on Him. So, today, if I have failed to say it to you Father, I thank you for your grace and your mercy. I thank you for every sacrifice you have made for me! Most of all I thank you for the journey and for blessing our families lives with Lil Will. He is the greatest gift I could ever ask for!!!

Just hanging out with my folks....

On the eve before Lil Will's big move outta Children's Medical Center, we just hung out with him taking pictures and thanking God from where He has brought us! The Lord has truly blessed us. He has placed the right people in our lives at just the right time. He has shown us how to truly lean on Him and only Him during this time. He has walked with us every step of way, He has carried us when we couldn't stand or walk alone, He has shouldered all of our burdens and allowed us to cast our cares upon Him. He has been the great I am. Without Him, we never could have made it and without each of you who have stood with us and prayed for us, and prayed without ceasing. We love you and we thank you for being here for us. Oh, Lord how excellent is thy name!!

My Godmommie came to see me!

Lil Will's godmommie, Servanie came to hang out with him this weekend. He stared and stared at her. It was a new face he doesn't get to see that often. They had a great visit.