When Hallie was a baby, she was diagnosed with a disease that required surgery. There was only one doctor, at the time, in the state of Idaho that performed this surgery and he was Boise. We were living in Rexburg, Idaho where Steve was in his final semester of college and we planned to stay at my parents house an hour away.

After meeting with the surgeon and understanding her recovery time in the hospital, we were encouraged to stay at the Ronald McDonald house across the street from the hospital. I had no idea at the time what a blessing it would be. We were fortunate they had availability for us and we made it our home for 5 days.

As we got to know some of the families staying there, we realized as difficult as our situation appeared to us – we had a light at the end of our tunnel. We knew once Hallie recovered, we could take her home with us. Most of the others were there indefinitely. Months. Even years. Hallie was our only child at the time, but many others had their families there with them. My heart ached for their situation and at the same time applauded their strength.

I walked away from this experience with a deep appreciation for the services that were provided to us as young parents away from our home. We’ve looked for opportunities to give back to this organization over the years.

I came across this video this week and all the feel good emotions about this organization came flooding back. Take a look at the history of this amazing charity. It is never ceases to amaze me the amount of good that is out there and people who are willing to help. Its humbling to be on the receiving end of that help and support. If you have the chance, look up your local house and see what kind of help they need!