Once again I am at awe at how God is using Brayden to teach me and bring me closer to Him. This morning I was reflecting back on last night. BZ is teething and woke up several times and couldn't go back to sleep. However, each time I went up to his room, all I had to do was pick him up and hold him, and he was OK, the crying stopped. Was the pain gone? No, but he was comforted simply by my presence and my touch. All was right because Mom was there.
Somewhere along the way, we lose this ability to be so easily comforted. We realize that Mom and Dad can't always make everything OK, and sometimes the pain and hurt last longer than we want it to. Sometimes we don't know how long it will last. These are the times when our Heavenly Father wants us to cry out to Him. He longs to be our comforter, our protector, to bring us peace amidst life's hurts and storms. Why is it that we try to go through things alone? Why is it that we lose the ability to be fully comforted by His presence and His love?
Next time I am hurting, I want to remember the way Brayden lays his head on my shoulder and settles so easily into my arms when I answer his cries. I want to cry out to God and know that He is listening, and He wants me to let Him calm my hurts and fears the same way a mother does for her child. He is there, through it all, He is there, waiting, hoping that we will turn to Him so that He can bring us comfort and peace.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
All praise to
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the
source of all comfort. He comforts us
in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we
will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
So Thankful
Spurred by reading the book 1,000 Gifts (wonderful if you haven't read it!), it seems like a lot of my thoughts and quiet time lately have been centered around thanksgiving. I am truly embracing a sense of being truly thankful, for everything in my life, the good and the bad. That ties in so well to the reason I started this blog. I began typing these posts out for myself, as a way to sort of journal my thoughts and feelings about this journey and to remember all the ways God was showing Himself and His goodness in our lives. What kept coming to mind for me was how much more I appreciate the simple little gifts God gives us, and since Brayden was born I have really tried to embrace this and take time to enjoy those everyday moments, hence the Stop and Smell the Roses theme. (If you don't know what 65 Roses is all about see that tab above).
This week I was feeling a little lonely with us all being sick and Brayden and I couped up in the house trying to get rested and well. I was thinking how it would be nice to have my Mom and Donita here to help watch Brayden so I could get some housework done or just go to the grocery. Then I realized how thankful I am just to have that wish, to have that desire to want them here. So many people aren't close to their parents or in-laws and don't think twice about not having them around. There are so many broken homes and heart wrenching stories about things that tear families apart. I am so thankful that we have the family and friends that we do to miss. How blessed Jeff and I both are with wonderful parents, siblings, and extended families and friends. God has placed such amazing people in our lives, and he continues to do so in Charleston.
The very first CF Mom I met here is an example of God's handiwork. I asked Brayden's respiratory therapist (who is awesome by the way, we love her) for some ideas to get involved in the local CF community and meet other parents. She gave me the name of one Mom who has chaired Great Strides and is very involved. Her name is Peg, and she has a 27 year old son, Tommy who has CF. I emailed Peg right away and she wasted no time in setting up a lunch to meet me and introduce me to another Mom.
The other Mom couldn't make it at the last minute so Brayden and I had lunch with Peg and her husband Tom. Through our conversation we discovered that we were both University of Illinois alumni, we had both been in sororities there, and that sorority just happened to be Alpha Gamma Delta! Another U of I Alpha Gam whose first born son has Cystic Fibrosis, this was not an accidental meeting. Peg and Tom are such gracious and wonderful people and I am so thankful that I am going to be able to get to know them and partner with them to fight for a cure here in Charleston. God continues to bring other wonderful people into our lives here as well, and we know in time we will have the same sense of thankfulness for our Charleston family as we do for our Fort Wayne/Midwest family and friends.
I give thanks to Him Who has granted me strength and made me able, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged and counted me faithful and trustworthy, appointing me to the ministry. 1 Timothy 1: 12
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7
This week I was feeling a little lonely with us all being sick and Brayden and I couped up in the house trying to get rested and well. I was thinking how it would be nice to have my Mom and Donita here to help watch Brayden so I could get some housework done or just go to the grocery. Then I realized how thankful I am just to have that wish, to have that desire to want them here. So many people aren't close to their parents or in-laws and don't think twice about not having them around. There are so many broken homes and heart wrenching stories about things that tear families apart. I am so thankful that we have the family and friends that we do to miss. How blessed Jeff and I both are with wonderful parents, siblings, and extended families and friends. God has placed such amazing people in our lives, and he continues to do so in Charleston.
The very first CF Mom I met here is an example of God's handiwork. I asked Brayden's respiratory therapist (who is awesome by the way, we love her) for some ideas to get involved in the local CF community and meet other parents. She gave me the name of one Mom who has chaired Great Strides and is very involved. Her name is Peg, and she has a 27 year old son, Tommy who has CF. I emailed Peg right away and she wasted no time in setting up a lunch to meet me and introduce me to another Mom.
The other Mom couldn't make it at the last minute so Brayden and I had lunch with Peg and her husband Tom. Through our conversation we discovered that we were both University of Illinois alumni, we had both been in sororities there, and that sorority just happened to be Alpha Gamma Delta! Another U of I Alpha Gam whose first born son has Cystic Fibrosis, this was not an accidental meeting. Peg and Tom are such gracious and wonderful people and I am so thankful that I am going to be able to get to know them and partner with them to fight for a cure here in Charleston. God continues to bring other wonderful people into our lives here as well, and we know in time we will have the same sense of thankfulness for our Charleston family as we do for our Fort Wayne/Midwest family and friends.
I give thanks to Him Who has granted me strength and made me able, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged and counted me faithful and trustworthy, appointing me to the ministry. 1 Timothy 1: 12
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7
Monday, February 6, 2012
We love the sun!
One of the main reasons Jeff and I chose Charleston as our new home was because we both dreaded Indiana winters. The cold is one thing, and let me tell you we both hate the cold. But, the never ending dreary skies and days upon days with no sunshine was what really bothered us both. I must say, we have both truly enjoyed our first South Carolina winter thus far. We love the sun! I think it's therapeutic to wake up and see the sunshine almost every morning. Not to mention my skin is not dry and I don't feel stir crazy because we are able to get outside and play nearly every day.
Now I'm not trying to say that everything is perfect in Charleston because the sun shines most days of the year. Charleston has it's faults too, that's for sure. But, we're really enjoying exploring our new surroundings and discovering all that the area has to offer. We try to see something new every week, and we've been fortunate to be able to take some mini road trips because Jeff has every other week off. We love that the beach is 15 minutes away, and the mountains are only a short drive North. Now if we could just convince some of our friends and family to move here...
We pray that God will continue to bring people into our lives so that we can build strong friendships here. The great thing is that there are so many transplants here, so there are many people in the same situation as us, with little or no family nearby. We know we will meet some great people and have a Charleston 'family' eventually. We know this will take some time. In the meantime, we'll continue to soak up some rays and explore all that Charleston has to offer, and hope that we can convince some people to come visit and enjoy it with us!
Now I'm not trying to say that everything is perfect in Charleston because the sun shines most days of the year. Charleston has it's faults too, that's for sure. But, we're really enjoying exploring our new surroundings and discovering all that the area has to offer. We try to see something new every week, and we've been fortunate to be able to take some mini road trips because Jeff has every other week off. We love that the beach is 15 minutes away, and the mountains are only a short drive North. Now if we could just convince some of our friends and family to move here...
We pray that God will continue to bring people into our lives so that we can build strong friendships here. The great thing is that there are so many transplants here, so there are many people in the same situation as us, with little or no family nearby. We know we will meet some great people and have a Charleston 'family' eventually. We know this will take some time. In the meantime, we'll continue to soak up some rays and explore all that Charleston has to offer, and hope that we can convince some people to come visit and enjoy it with us!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Small Victories
Jeff, Brayden, and I have all been sick this week. It's been a rough time at our house, but amidst the runny noses, fevers, coughs, and watery eyes, there have been some small, yet exciting victories. You may have to be a parent to get excited about things like this, but I'm sure every Mama understands =) The first came when Brayden finally drank from something other than a bottle. I have been trying to win this battle for a couple of months now to no avail. I tried small cups, tall cups, handles, no handles, soft spouts, hard spouts, straws, and everything else I could think of, but that boy wanted nothing to do with anything but a bottle. It didn't matter what I put in it, milk, water, juice, he wasn't havin' it.
This week it was extremely important that I get him to drink liquids because his appetite was down and he wasn't eating as much as normal. Again, I tried every kind of liquid in every kind of cup and the answer was always a cup pushed back at me or dropped to the floor...I heard a lot of thuds this week. I also tried giving him pedialyte in his bottle, which he didn't want either. The boy likes milk, in a bottle, period. After a long, frustrating week of this, my prayers were finally answered on Friday when I got him to drink some orange Pedialyte in a sippy cup with a straw! I had recently noticed him more closely watching me drink from my Parkview water mug that has a straw, so he must have learned how to do it by watching me. Needless to say, this was a huge victory in my eyes! Now to get rid of those bottles...
Victory number two came when I saw Brayden stack his wooden alphabet blocks by himself for the very first time. He has always loved his blocks. Mommy would build them, and he would knock em down, typical boy, right? Then on Saturday I saw him stack one on top of another as he was playing. Such a cool moment, and so fun to watch him learn and marvel in his successes. Jeff practiced with him again on Sunday and he was stacking them on top of Daddy's stacks as well...and then knocking them down of course! It was a good week for BZ in spite of this nasty bug that we're all suffering from. Can't wait to see what he will surprise us with next!
This week it was extremely important that I get him to drink liquids because his appetite was down and he wasn't eating as much as normal. Again, I tried every kind of liquid in every kind of cup and the answer was always a cup pushed back at me or dropped to the floor...I heard a lot of thuds this week. I also tried giving him pedialyte in his bottle, which he didn't want either. The boy likes milk, in a bottle, period. After a long, frustrating week of this, my prayers were finally answered on Friday when I got him to drink some orange Pedialyte in a sippy cup with a straw! I had recently noticed him more closely watching me drink from my Parkview water mug that has a straw, so he must have learned how to do it by watching me. Needless to say, this was a huge victory in my eyes! Now to get rid of those bottles...
Victory number two came when I saw Brayden stack his wooden alphabet blocks by himself for the very first time. He has always loved his blocks. Mommy would build them, and he would knock em down, typical boy, right? Then on Saturday I saw him stack one on top of another as he was playing. Such a cool moment, and so fun to watch him learn and marvel in his successes. Jeff practiced with him again on Sunday and he was stacking them on top of Daddy's stacks as well...and then knocking them down of course! It was a good week for BZ in spite of this nasty bug that we're all suffering from. Can't wait to see what he will surprise us with next!
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