Happy Birthday Steven

Dear Steven,

I have started to write this HAPPY BIRTHDAY note to you dozens of times.  I have pondered the wording in the early morning hours, mentally written sentences on the drives to and from work and fallen asleep reformatting in my head.  But somehow nothing seemed to quite hit the mark. The reality that you are turning 30 isn’t quite as shocking to me as is the reality that I am no longer 30 J

Where do I start…and where do I end?  How do I put down in words the fullness that is in my heart and my life because of you?

It’s challenging to remember life without you because you have always been a part of my heart.  I love that God answered the cry of my heart with such a precious you!  From the first moments of knowing that you were on your way, life has never been the same. 

You are the firstborn we had prayed for and you brought with you the fulfillment of “family”. 
With you came many things:
…the blessing of experiencing the sweetness of having a baby in the house ~it’s true, a baby changes everything.
...the joy of watching you grow, learn and take on the responsibilities of being the big brother to Danny and Billy.
…the delights of moving through childhood…the introduction to little league, homeschooling, competitive sports, driving lessons, and Bible Quiz.
…the pride of watching you mature into a fine young man with a heart for God.
…the tug on our hearts as you left home to follow the call on your heart.
…the realization that you were in the exact right place as you soared with every new adventure and fell in love with your Christina.
…the honor of walking through the planning of your engagement, proposal, and wedding.
…the enlarging of our hearts and our family with a new branch to our family tree, and a new generation arrived with the birth of your precious Blake…our warrior hero.  Our family story continues with a beautiful chapter that is unfolding daily with paragraphs about…Steven:  Son, brother, husband, father, pastor and friend. 

The days that have led up to today have been many.  The lessons you have learned have been powerful. You have dealt with success and failure with equal amounts of strength and character.  You have been humble in victory and gracious in defeat…and every day you bring the party with you. 

I love that I am the mother of three sons.  I love that you are my firstborn.  I love the lessons of life that you taught me along the way.  I love not only the person that you are, but also the person that I am today because you are in my life.

I could write and re-write this note to you, and never be completely satisfied with the end result because there simply are not words big enough to tell you what a treasure you are to my heart.

So…Happy Birthday, Steven….I love you tons and bunches...and always J ~ Mom

God is Faithful

o       April 13, 2012 | Blake Update from Christina:  We are slowly weaning Blake off of the blood pressure med he's been on since November. Please pray with us that all goes well. Every day he gets closer to a life without any medication, chemo or shots! Thanking Jesus for His faithfulness to complete what he has started in Blake's life.
...
I still find it unbelievable that Blake has been in this battle since November...and that November was only 4 months ago. It is interesting how such a lifetime has exploded in such a short time.  In times like these it always amazes me how time can drag on and rush forward all at the same time.

We have seen God's hand move in miraculous ways in defending Blake.  Oh! what a future awaits a generation filled with such mighty warriors. There is nothing too great for our God to accomplish, there is nothing too small that it escapes His watchful eye.

The journey to the Final Bell continues. Every day brings it's own set of challenges and victories. Whether those challenges are great or small, none of them are insignificant♥.

Thank you for walking this challenging journey with us. Thank you for taking us into the Throne Room with you. Thank you for your encouragement at every turn. And THANK YOU for loving us ♥

You are treasures to our hearts ♥

"Beacon of Hope"

We journey through the challenging days for reasons known only to God. Yet we know that he holds our tomorrows just as surely as He has held our yesterdays and is holding our todays.



We have seen the windows of hope open in the darkest of moments and have trusted in His faithfulness, even when it seemed impossibly difficult. Together my sweet son and his beautiful Christina are raising a mighty man of God...these days are all a part of God's plan for Blake...a future bright with hope. He will go to places we will never see, reaching people we could never reach. This is all a part of the journey to "there". They are incredible teachers...their sweetness and strength to teach the lessons that will lead him into the Man of God that he will one day be.

There are bushels of fruit on display in their life everyday...Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlness, and self-control...are abundantly overflowing, even when they are tired and weary, they all continue to press on.

I am humbled with the strength and courage that Blake faces each moment with. He doesn't know what a battle he fights...he doesn't realize just this is not a usual part of childhood..but he will forever be my hero...

I am so proud of Christina and Steven...for the people they are

..for the parents they have become

...and for the difference they are making in lives they touch. 

They are treasures to my heart.

Steven and Blake reading a Bible Story before bedtime....even in hospital...

....train up a child in the way he should go...

 

This sweetest of boys...has the sweetest of mothers...

and we are blessed to have them both in our lives.