Holiday Letter

There is a great song in the theater production of “Rent” titled Season’s of Love that asks the question, “How do you measure a year?” The song goes on to describe the importance of measuring the year not in events or things, but in love. We have learned a thing or two about that in the last 12 months. Most of you reading this know the ups and downs the Beeson’s have endured, but for those of you who don’t know what I am writing about, I will recap.

The absolute highlight of the last year was the birth of our precious daughter Kaylin Joy on April 28th. True to her middle name, Kaylee has enriched our lives tremendously, and brought so much light and happiness into our home and hearts. She is such a blessing.

We also feel equally and incredibly fortunate to be the parents of our special angel, Avery Grace, who is now two and a half. Avery has had a rough 12 months, but what has remained steady is her delightful disposition and ability to give us all the insight to truly understand the power of unconditional love. Last January we had the scare of our lives when doctors feared Avery’s Mastocytosis (an autoimmune disease we already knew she had) had turned into Mast Cell Leukemia. Several tests and sleepless nights later, we were incredibly relieved to find out that she does not have leukemia at this time, though she will continue to be followed by her oncologist and several other specialists. Another complication of this autoimmune disease is that it makes kids who have it 7 times more likely to develop regressive Autism. Avery had developed beautifully her first year of life, and now has a diagnosis of full blown Autism. She is in several hours of therapy a week, as well as on a strict regime of biomedical treatment. The team of professionals dedicated to help our sweet toddler is the best of the best, and we are in a place where we are finally feeling hopeful for what is yet to come. Avery is so much more than her disorder, and we are so proud of her and all that she is. We choose everyday to praise, love and adore her for her spirit and her abilities, rather than focus on her disability. She makes me and Bryan better parents and better people. We have learned SO much from Avery, and we have so much hope for her as she continues her journey.

Bryan has been doing great at his job with Current Energy as their client services manager. He even won a big award a few months ago and gets lots of praise and acclamation for his hard work. Most importantly, he is also an outstanding husband and an amazing dad, which won’t come as a surprise to those of you who know him well. The love he has for his daughters is flawless and pure. He has taught me so much about how to stay calm in the midst of a storm and find goodness, hope, and optimism in the darkest of hours.

I am proud to say that I recently completed a certification in Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). I have been working on this for three years. Ironically, it is a certification specifically designed to treat children with Autism and their families. There are only 8 of us in the state of Texas at this time with this specialized training, and it is obviously an area of study of which I am extremely dedicated. I have been working in Early Intervention for almost 8 years now, and am grateful for the lessons I can now apply to my personal life! I do some contract work part time, and spend the rest of my time toting Avery to various therapies, breast-feeding Kaylee, or on the computer doing Autism research.

So as you can see, our year has been a busy one, full of emotions and rich with blessings. Our immediate and extended family has really come through for us, and the friends we have are the salt of the earth. So all things aside, if we measure our year in love, it has been the best year of our lives. But, we have come through it stronger, more fulfilled, complete and happy to be living for each day as we have learned to appreciate the little things in life that make it all worthwhile.

Happy Holidays dear friends and family. We hope all of you have a magnificent season, and a spectacular 2009.