The beginning of Lexi's blog- why a blog now?

Our daughter, Lexi Noelle Valladares, was only with us a short time but she made a big impact on our lives and many others. It was always our intention to create a blog where people could come to read about Lexi's life. But, with the extended care that Lexi required, that left us with little time to update a blog. Thankfully, via email, Facebook and word of mouth, our friends and family were able to be kept up-to-date on Lexi's life.

Although she is no longer physically with us, she remains in our hearts daily and we, as her family, are left to carry on her legacy. It is our priviledge and joy to share about her life, the impact she had, and how she continues to be a light in this world. We will continue to be her voice and to tell the world of her purpose here on earth.

So, what was her purpose and what is her legacy? Those are important questions for all of us to ask ourselves. Years ago, we wrestled with what her purpose was. In a world that so easily defines purpose in terms of productivity, what you can physically do, it was something we took to God. What would the life of a little girl look like who could not walk, talk, eat, play, etc? But, in those times of turning to God we knew that her purpose here was to bring God glory. And we looked for opportunities to allow her to do that, and to be her voice in doing so, if need be. And now in carrying on her legacy, we purposefully look for ways that we can share her life with others and bring glory to her Creator who loved her beyond what we can imagine.

In July 2010, we were honored to start a memorial fund in her memory. The grieving process has been intense these past 8 months and so we are just now starting to find ways to give monetarily from that fund to help others in Lexi's memory.

So, maybe you have stumbled upon this blog via word of mouth, or maybe you are a close friend or family member who has come here to be reminded of Lexi's life and her impact in this world. We hope this blog will be a way for us to share ways God is continuing to use Lexi and her life to bring Him glory, to share insight into our grieving process, to potentially minister to and encourage others, and to share how we have been able to help others through donations from Lexi's memorial fund.