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| He melts my heart... |
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I have a special son....Hunter was born premature at 36 weeks, he was taken by c-section emergently after an amnio confirmed his lungs were mature. He was 7 pounds and 12 ounces of an actively crying baby boy and we were shocked at his arrival. He had endured a stroke 2 weeks earlier and instead of delivering him then we waited for proper lung development because we wanted to prevent any further brain damage. We never expected him to be moving, active, and attentive but he was. This child has always seemed to beat the odds...he is full of more tenacity than anyone I know. He has determinedly overcome obstacles in his life that you and I do not have to bear. Today, besides comparing the lack of muscle mass and tone on his affected right side to his left there are no obvious signs of the struggle he has had to endure in his life. He is 16 now and maturing in ways I prayed for. Unfortunately, he has not lived with a good Godly male role model or leader in his life, yet somehow he is becoming just that and it amazes me and shocks me all over again at its arrival.
When he was born and I nursed him for the first time we were alone...I softly touched his tiny feet and fat thighs, I let him grip my finger with each of his tiny hands and I knew then his right side was weaker. I ran my fingers through his black thick soft curls and stroked his chubby cheek, I marveled at his beauty while he slept. Tears ran down my cheeks as I got acquainted with my son and I asked the Lord, please, please, heal him, breathe on him and touch him with your special touch...It was at that moment that the Lord spoke to me and said "This child will give you hope again in men" Now, that was not what I expected to hear, and I tucked it in my heart and did not speak about that for years...but I held to it like the promise it was....
A couple years ago I began chemo and every Friday night came the time for two injections in my belly. One I barely felt but one felt like a hornet sting. If I didn't press hard and embed that needle in my stomach deeply I would get a painful blistery rash almost immediately. This was an auto-injected dose of medication and once it began infusing I would curse a line of explicitives not fit for human ears...I would tell my son make sure I don't let up on the syringe and if needed he would keep my hand steady as the medication flowed in. He often laughed at my language, he had never heard such things come from my mouth...I'm sure I would have made a sailor blush. Once the mediation went in my son would cover me up with my blankets to my neck and talk to me until I would fall asleep. After about 5 minutes I would barely be conscious when he would touch my cheek or softly kiss my cheek or forehead, turn off my light and gently walk out of my room. I would hear him open my door later on in the evening to check on me. I loved my son for those moments. As much as I hated him to have to experience that...I have never felt a sweeter love come from anyone...During those moments my son was my rock and I looked up to him and drew strength from him in the man he was becoming...
Hunter now plays Lacrosse and is pretty good at it, this year somehow...he began to run like a track star. For those of you who have every seen someone who ran like an ape to keep their body propelled that is how he ran as a child. When my daughter and I see him take off we still look at each other in shock. He has found his sport niche and when I watch him play I have to keep myself from embarrassing him. I do get a lecture before I go to every game on proper parent cheering etiquette from him, it is kinda comical but evidently my joy in his triumphs gets loud when he plays sports...
At the last minute this week they were told they had a game on Thursday. Game attendance has never been a problem for Hunter except this Thursday was the opening and celebration of the new youth complex at our church. Hunter had planned on celebrating this date for a year. When some of the boys started to tell the coach they could not make it on Thursday the coach came back with this speech. "Listen, Lacrosse is more important than school, projects, homework or ANY other activity you have planned! YOU WILL BE THERE!" Hunter said after the practice he walked up to the coach and asked if he could talk to him privately. He said he told the coach, "Coach I appreciate what you said, and I understand how important dedication is. I need to tell you for me God comes first. Our church is celebrating the opening of our youth complex this Thursday and I need to be there. I hope you understand, if you want to punish me, or cut me from the team you can, but in this instance God comes first. He said the coach told him he could go to church any day of the week after he wiped the shock from his face, and Hunter told Him that was generally true but this was a celebration of something he had invested in for a long time and he felt it was priority. The coach told him, "Well OK, but I might have to make you run." He never made Hunter run...
I'm telling you, knowing Hunter took that stand for me as a parent was one of my proudest. How he handled that had "Godly man leader" all over it. That boy of mine melts my heart at times...Not only is that child of mine a Lacrosse playing miracle but he is becoming a man right in front of my eyes....and I realized that what God told me is happening...My son is indeed giving me hope in men... |
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| To add a comment to "He melts my heart..." |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| I loved that story. God bless you and your family. I pray my children will react like your son has. |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| Thank you Destiny, you have a very beautiful family, one day soon as they all grow you will have scads of stories like this to tell. God bless! Lori |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| That's a true blessing! |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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I just got the shivers. You are a blessed woman and I would love to meet your children. I wish I'd started reading your blog when I first joined. Now I'm going to have to backtrack.
You are inspiring me... God bless you! |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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Awww Joey that is just the sweetest thing to say! I could talk for hours about my kiddos...they are really blessings to me! Glad I inspire you! How nice of you to say!
Craig Thanks! I'd rather have my boy say that than just about anything else! Thanks! |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| Steve, that is sweet! It is hard to say our Jesus is priority sometimes. BUT if my son can say it now in a respectful way straight to his coaches face...WOW, just think how he will handle himself at work and with his family...I'm really proud of him and he never told me that story for me to find joy in it, he told me so I knew what he had decided and how he went about it, I'm really proud of how he handled it! The Lord is teaching that boy to be a man...and it really is encouraging for me to see...I AGREE, GOD BLESS THAT BOY! (He is gonna need it cause when I show him this blog...he is gonna be embarassed....LOL, I'll just tell him at least it isn't on facebook! :) ) |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| Wonderful Son u have raised Lori. God bless you for that :-) |
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| April 25, 2009 |
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| Thank you sweetie I appreciate that more than you know...Your such a blessing with all you do here at mychurch, God bless you right back! Lori |
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| April 26, 2009 |
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| Thanks for the comments and emails on this story about Hunter! God Bless you! Lori |
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| April 26, 2009 |
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| This made my heart melt...what a blessing this boy is to you! Thank you for sharing! |
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| April 26, 2009 |
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| Thanks Deb! He is his mama's blessing... |
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| April 27, 2009 |
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| Awww thank you Marcella, what a compliment! I really appreciate that. We will grab that blessing! Just got back from taking him to school, now I'm going back to sleep for a bit (one of my only days to sleep in!) |
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| June 15, 2009 |
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| Thanks Lynn, God bless you too! May you find the peace that passes all understanding....:) Your a gem! Lori |
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