Do you remember your best friend’s little brother or sister? How much they got in the way? How much they annoyed you? My best friend’s little sister was Miranda. We did not get along. I don’t know how many times poor Renee was caught in the middle of Miranda and I bickering and how annoyed she must’ve been.
Fast forward twenty years and lots of life lessons, and here we are. It turns out Miranda isn’t so bad (wink, wink)! In all seriousness, she is without a doubt one of the strongest and most amazing mothers I’ve ever known. She and Nate are parents to Rowen (9), Harper and Knox (2). Throughout the road to parenthood, they dealt with infertility, in vitro fertilization, miscarriage, and now cerebral palsy and an unidentified bone disease.
I never heard Miranda complain about hormone shots or doctor’s appointments, and in the face of more recent challenges, I still haven’t heard her feeling sorry for herself. Her focus is and always has been on taking care of her little ones. As of late, this has entailed countless appointments and therapy sessions, trips to Iowa City and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, even giving up her day job. She has many late nights/ early mornings, two kiddos with mobility challenges, and more insurance headaches than imaginable.
As a parent with a two-year-old myself, Harper’s particular situation has resonated with me. Whether the diagnosis remains Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis or something else, this child has significant challenges ahead of her. Knowing that and all that Nate and Miranda have done to have these precious children, I had to do something. Hence, the Christmas mini sessions at Honey Creek Timber in Morning Sun. Honey Creek graciously donated the use of their land, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to the Atkinson family. While $400 isn’t a lot when we talk about doctor’s bills and quitting a job, I hope it was enough to lighten the load at least a tiny bit.
Here are a few of my favorites from the Atkinson benefit Christmas mini-sessions on November 19.
