The Mooney Family
We are so excited to launch a new, monthly series here at Grace for Moms! Our 5 Minutes with. . . posts will happen one Friday a month when we’ll share the life of an author, speaker, artist or other influential and inspirational person. Our hope is that through 5 questions and their 5 grace-filled answers, you will be encouraged in your walk. Please join me in welcoming our first 5 Minutes with. . .guest, Matt Mooney.
Welcome Matt! Tell us a little bit about you and your family.
Well, it is a beautiful blend of wild and wonderful. When people walk through the door, we welcome them into the chaos that comprises us. My wife, Ginny, and I are celebrating 13 years of highs and lows and mostly middles.
The “rascals” are a ragtag team of all-stars. Hazel, five, sings any song from Annie as often as possible and likes hamburgers. Anders, four, is a wild mix of tender and soldier – all boy but all heart. Lena, seven, is the newest to our family, we adopted her from Ukraine 2.5 years ago. She has profound, global disabilities but – more importantly – she loves music and has long locks of beautiful, blonde hair that induces envy in most encounters.
For those not familiar with your story, can you share a bit about Eliot and your book, “A Story Unfinished?”
Eliot, our first son, would be seven. He was with us for 99 days and we miss him every day since. Eliot was diagnosed with trisomy 18 when Ginny was 30 weeks pregnant. I chronicle our days before, during and after Eliot in the book A Story Unfinished: 99 Days with Eliot
I wrote the book for me and for my family and for anyone who needs a bit of encouragement that God can still be mysteriously good within the worst moments of this life.
Matt, Ginny and Eliot
Matt, what you experienced was so hard and personal. What specifically compelled you to share your story in this book?
Ginny and I feel as though one cannot know us, as we are today, without the pretext of knowing the road we walked with Eliot. In the same way, I wanted my kids to one day be able to read about their brother; the little one that they would not know, but one that had shaped so much of their lives because of the lives we have because of him.
There is a video of Eliot’s life entitled “99 Balloons” that we created before anyone had any concept of the words “viral video”. This video took on a life of its own and allowed us to share Eliot’s story in many venues and with many people. Doing so allowed us to see the healing effect of sharing your story with others who are hurting themselves.
Tell us about your hopes for your organization 99balloons.
99 balloons exists to “change the story of disability” on a global level. We founded this organization, not as a tribute to Eliot, but out of desperation to live out the lessons that his life brought us.
We help people engage disability locally and globally – typically through the starting point of rEcess respite events for families experiencing disability.The global plight of persons with disability is one of marginalization and oppression; we shine a light on this reality and offer folks a way to get involved to change it.
Matt, we are all about grace here at Grace for Moms. What do you believe it means to experience grace as a parent?
Oh man, I love me some grace. Through Eliot, God brought us clarity that has proven to be grace upon grace for us. A life that is forecasted to be short quickly brings into focus the gravity of what matters and what does not. It is interesting that though I have lived it, I can so easily be pulled back into shuffling items to the top that have no place there.
I want my children to see their father embracing the moment with them instead of worrying about tomorrow or regretting yesterday. I think grace to us parents looks like saying yes when you’re asked to play ball or doll or whatever and less of a focus on managing behaviors.
Experiencing grace as a parent looks like letting go of a pretend perception of control over our kids and loving them wildly, deeply and wonderfully; just as God has us.
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Thank you Matt for being here with us today. What a powerful story of redemption and grace. Matt and his publisher are graciously giving away a copy of his book today, A Story Unfinished: 99 Days with Eliot
For more information on the work of 99balloons, visit 99balloons.org
The post 5 Minutes with >> Matt Mooney, A Story Unfinished appeared first on Grace for Moms.
