The Bartlinski Bunch

" Teresa "

" Teresa "

Teresa "Fang Fang " Bartlinski

Teresa was born on December 25, 2006 in China. She was born with a very complex heart condition. In July 2010, GOD added Teresa to our family through adoption. We have been blessed with 9 wonderful children. Gods grace has woven us together as a family. Upon bringing Teresa home from China we unfortunately learned she not only needed a heart transplant but also a lung transplant. Her doctors feel she would not survive this operation. Please help us to pray for a miracle for Teresa's heart and lungs to be healed. She is a very special little soul who has touched so many lives around the world ...
I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Dear Teresa-Sisters

Dear Teresa,

Before we adopted you, we had a family meeting. From all of your medical records we were unsure how long God would share you with us.  We asked all of your brothers and sisters how they felt.   They were all  unanimous in that they wanted to love you and have  you for  their sister for however long God would share you with us. 

For almost three years God shared you with  us.   We laughed, pretended we were princesses, swam, dreamed of riding your bike one day without wearing oxygen, played family all the time with Gemma ( of course you were always the Mom and Gemma the Dad), you looked at the pink clouds in the sky and thought Jesus put them there just for you, you picked more flowers than I can count( always giving one to me saying "Here Mama, just for you because I love you ",  you loved exploring new adventures like roasting marshmallows, fishing or catching lightning bugs.  But most of all you just loved to be home.  You were a home body and never liked being away too long.  You also loved your family and every one of your sisters and brothers.

Since you have gone to heaven your sisters have missed you dearly.  For the three years that you were their sister here on  Earth you showed them how to love unconditionally, accept others with differences, love "your Jesus" and to be so grateful for having a family.  Now that you are in Heaven you are still teaching them so much .  Daddy and I comfort them as they are grieving and I can't help but think that in losing you ,  they have learned so much . Yes , their hearts are broken but their hearts have grown so big by being broken.  They are different now.  You were always different , you were a very old soul.  Now their souls are becoming like yours. This is a tremendous gift that you
have given them since you have gone to heaven..  They know compassion on a whole different level now.  Their faith in "your Jesus" has grown.

I know sweet baby girl that you sent an angel to help make your sisters smile again.  Her name is Amy and she is the founder of The Joy-Hope Foundation. Amy knows the deep sorrow of losing a child, she has lost two.   In her dear children's memory she has started this amazing foundation to help other families that have lost a child.  She knows how important it is to create new memory making getaways for families and to help their children smile again.    We asked all of your sissies what they would like to do to bring a smile back to their faces.   It was very easy for Gemma,  she wants to give Belle (your favorite Princess) a picture of you and a Tiara.  I am praying Little T that you will give me the strength to do this.  It will be VERY hard for me to see Belle without you.  The other girls gave it a lot of thought and they all agreed that they would like to go back to Give Kids The World and volunteer and help make other families smile.  I know you remember how much happiness you had at GKTW on your Make a Wish trip.  You had a week full of shear joy , not worrying about Doctors or any pain.  Your every dream came true.  You had ice cream for breakfast, your nails painted a different shade of pink EVERY day , princess tattoos, endless rides on the Merry go Round and you even got to see Santa!   See how much you have changed all of your sisters hearts.  They are able to love more all because of you.  Having you as their sister has made them better people.  You were a gift to us all.

Thank you God for sharing Teresa with us.

" When I look into your eyes, I know there is a God.  Human compassion and the capacity to love are not the result of mere chance."-Charles W. Gerdts





















13 comments:

Debbie Sauer said...

I think she is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. Blessings

Becky said...

I wil be donating to the Joy/Hope Foundation in Teresa's memory. What a wonderful foundation that has been established to help grieving families!

Katie (Ohio) said...

Ann, what a beautiful sharing of the thoughts and feelings of Teresa's sisters. I pray that you have the strength to take the girls back to see Belle and give her a picture of Teresa. I love your idea of giving others a wish come true. You and your family are such caring individuals and a great example for all of us. Teresa would be so happy to know how much she has touched the lives of so many people around the entire world by just being herself and her love for Jesus. Thank you for sharing these beautiful writings, Ann. I pray for love and comfort as you move through this difficult grieving process.

Karin said...

Oh Ann.... I will be praying that God gives you not only the tremendous strength you will need but that as you help others at GKTW, He will fill you with JOY.

Love, Dianne Isett said...

Teresa is spreading her love upon you and the world that she loved so much. You were blessed to have her share your lives. God knew his plan and her journey so that we could see what she saw. The love, caring, and beauty from her eyes. God will get you through this with Teresa leading the way. God bless!

Mary Lou said...

Ann....
You were only blessed to have Teresa for three years, but she made memories to last a lifetime. Those memories. Hold onto them. Such precious memories will comfort you. ;)
--Raelyn

Mom to my China Posse said...

Ann, were going to Disney at the end of August and we plan to take a special t shirt with the Tiara for Teresa one it in the bubble gum pink to Belle in Teresa's honor.

Lori said...

I think you are doing a way better job trudging through this than I would. I'm so sorry that ANYONE has to experience this. It's ok if you want to stomp and scream "IT'S NOT FAIR! SHE WASN'T HURTING ANYONE!" And, if you want to stay in your jammies and eat cupcakes all day that's ok, too. My heart still breaks for you all every time I think of the past several weeks. Bless you and know that you are never far from my thoughts and prayers.

Leslie said...

Your strength continues to amaze me and no doubt comes from our Father.

I am so sorry for the loss you feel and though I haven't experienced the loss of a child, I have heard there is always that loss. It just doesn't go away. But I'm thankful that God is giving you ways to help bring about His good through the life of your precious Teresa.

Praying for you Ann and your family, Leslie

Wanda House said...

Teresa was and still is such a beautiful little girl both inside and out. Her loving spirit and her love for Jesus is very evident in her pictures and in what you have written about her. Thank you for sharing your inner thoughts about Teresa and for sharing how the other girls are feeling. I am constantly lifting you and your family up in prayer. May God continue to bless all of you through the weeks and months ahead.

T. Lang said...

My heart still breaks for your family. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child. She is such a precious little girl. I really enjoy reading your blog as I continue to think of little Teresa. Something each day reminds me of her. She has had a real impact on my life and how I go about my daily living as a mom to my children. I know she is working hard in heaven and is producing miracles each day. My prayers are with you all.

josette said...

Beautifully written Ann! The world is a better place because of what Theresa has shared with it!!! You have an amazing family. Thank you for sharing them with us. Because of you and your family.....we are better!!!

JSavage said...

Thank you for sharing...you are a strong woman. My prayers are with you and your family. Thank you for sharing them with me and the world. Words just cannot express enough of the emotions in my heart.