Thankful for support

I'm thankful for our OEIS Support Group that we found on Facebook. We're currently at over 150 members... mothers, fathers, and foster parents of children with OEIS/CE, teens and adults who are living with OEIS/CE, and even some advocates and educators on these conditions! Everyone who is active in the group is SO helpful. We vent our fears and frustrations, talk about products that work best for our kids, and share funny stories that other families just can't relate to. There are families from different countries, religious backgrounds, and all walks of life - all gathered together to support each other as we tackle a crazy life with these special kids. I can't imagine not having them there to ask questions in my moments of panic, and it's always nice to have a reassuring word from them when times get hard. If you're reading, and you're one of those members - thank you!

Ecclesiastes 4:11

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Thankful for generous people

Today I'm thankful that there are still generous people on this planet. Our Booster Club hosted a Bake Auction to help raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project in conjunction with our Combined Federal Campaign. We had 85 donated items, and most of those were homemade. One cheesecake sold for $110! Overall we raised over $1300 for the WWP. It was overwhelming to see 100+ coworkers rally to support a cause that is so near to many of our hearts, especially considering the decline in morale over the last year. If you're reading and you're one of those coworkers - know your donations and participation are greatly appreciated!

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Thankful for mom

I am so very thankful today for my mom. She's always been a source of strength and a quiet presence in my life. She's watched me make choices, and has supported me as I experience the "life" that was a product of those choices. I inherited her love of reading and her non-confrontational spirit. She has a heart for giving and helping others, and even when she's been wronged she can find the best in it. I'm blessed to call her my mom.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” -Proverbs 31:28-29

Thankful for friends

Josh and I have been blessed with some of the greatest friends. Lifelong friends, the MFD brotherhood, and our CFI family have all been there along our journey - praying for us and supporting us in every way.  We have a lot more friends than what's listed below, but these are the ones that have been around for a lot of life... the nitty gritty, down in the weeds details that not everyone gets to hear or see.

Briana - My most adventurous, independent friend. She inspires me to follow my dreams no matter how hard and real the struggle may be. She's one of the most motivated people I've ever known, and I know someday she'll achieve every goal she ever made for herself.

Nichole - My stubborn friend. We've been side by side through almost every phase of life. We've fought, ignored each other, loved each other, and cried together. We've given tons of advice to each other: taken some and ignored some.  We've learned a lot of things the hard way, but we always make it work in the end. She just recently married an amazing man and I couldn't be happier for her to start this new journey.

Michael - For the record, Michael was MY friend first. My older brother, the sole trustee of the male population by my parents, I could often be found as a 15 year old riding around with this 30 year old looking man. HA! He's the reason I met Josh, and there's never a dull moment when he's around.

Shannon - This girl provides more life lessons for me than anyone. She gives the best advice, and she's always real and real blunt with me. She took the leap of faith and we started CrossFit together and we've since become great friends. She's also my sanity on bad days at work. She talks me down. Often.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Thankful for health

Today I'm thankful for mine and my family's health. Josh & Carter just got over a bug, and I'm working on one (I think)... but in spite of that we are far healthier than others. Despite Carter's medical challenges, I am constantly reminding myself that our situation could be so much more dire than it is. His kidney is his most fragile component of his health, and we've been blessed for the issues surrounding it to be minimal. Right now we're fighting iron fluxes and anemia, but we could be fighting fluid retention with dialysis. We could be on a transplant list. I make it a point to stay in prayer for a child that has more immediate medical needs than Carter. Our precious cousin Brenna, Carter Cline, my preemie cousin Evan, sweet Charlie Jean - they all are reminders that our God is BIGGER than any medical anomaly and that my family is blessed with health. Along those same lines - I'm thankful for a God that provides peace when I do lose perspective in the times of sickness, and for His grace that will one day give me a Heaven with no more sickness, death, or pain!

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4

Thankful for church

On Easter Sunday of this year, our friends Jake and Mandy invited us to come try their church - Church of the Highlands - in Montgomery. My number one hang up on going to church is the childcare factor - since Carter is so intimidating to some people. My friend Nichole had been attending for some time, and told me that the childcare is top-notch and they have an awesome notification system if a problem should arise. So that morning, we put on our Sunday best and headed downtown. I cannot explain to you the vast ways this church is different from any other church I've ever been to. We instantly felt at home. They were understanding of Carter's mobility delays and let us pick which age group he attended. We chose to put him in the class underneath what he would normally be in as they aren't nearly as wild and crazy (the 2 y/o class is aptly named "Zoo"... he's definitely more of a "Bee"!) We went back downstairs and fixed coffee, and Josh got a handful of mints. The worship service was moving, to say the least. I boo-hoo'd the whole time, I think. Pastor Chris is such an intriguing speaker. He's able to keep Josh's attention for the entire message - and that's saying something. You can feel his heart absolutely spilling over with joy for sharing the love of Christ. His vision and mission for the church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus - to LOVE people - to show the world that church does NOT have to fit the mold of boring Sunday services, judgment and damnation, and trying to be the "perfect" Christian. He is fully aware that there are tough subjects that have to be addressed, but believes that it's more appropriate to address those subjects in a small group setting where people are close to each other and can provide accountability and support. I have never wanted so badly to serve in a church - in fact, I never have served in a church! This will be my first! We've changed our view on generosity, on service, and on giving. The pastor that married us referenced the triangle (God at the top point, husband and wife on the two bottom points), where as a husband and wife get closer to God they get closer to each other, and we are seeing this in action! It's also important that we found a place where Carter can grow and thrive in the Word, aside from the teaching he gets at school.

I am forever thankful to our friends who urged us to try Church of the Highlands. We are so grateful for our new church family, the joy it's bringing to our home, and the growth we're experiencing in our personal walk with God.

¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -- Col 3:14-16

Thankful for faith

Ahh November, the only month out of the year we FOCUS on being thankful for things...First, some facts on the Thankful holiday:

(From Wikipedia... so you know it's legit...)

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God."

I love religiously founded holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. For those families that may not have their feet firmly planted in faith, it's a time of year that they stand still and recognize that religion, faith, and the belief in a greater power are still prevalent in the world, despite the fight to demolish those views by our society and our government. It's an opportunity to share with our children about "true meanings" of a season, and that while we can enjoy the secular spins on these holidays (ie; candy, presents, food) we always remember and honor their roots.

This year I am most thankful for my faith. Through every trial of life, my faith in Christ has kept me going. I've watched others who have little to no faith face situations that instilled in them some hope of a God that loves them and takes care of them - that's an awesome event to witness in a life.

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. --George Müller

I wrote a book report on George Müller in high school, and his accounts of prayer and faith have stuck with me. George Müller was known for caring for over 10,000 orphans, as well as his education and missionary activities. Many times he could barely make ends meet for the orphanage, but he never solicited funds. He always prayed. Every need he ever had was met through prayer and faith. It doesn't get much better than that!

For many, faith is something that seems far out of reach. For others, faith seems silly and uncalled for - to depend on an "imaginary" being to provide for them. For few, a devastating life event will bring them to their knees and cause them to beg a God they may have never called on to answer a prayer, and they will find faith, and it will bring comfort and peace like they've never known.

I was raised in the church, but it wasn't until our experience when I was pregnant with Carter that I truly understood the power of prayer and the peace that faith brings to a situation. I'm thankful that my upbringing prepared me for that call to faith, where others may have been more likely to waver. You'll hear more on that subject in future thankful posts :)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. --Hebrews 11:1