May may be gone, but NF awareness is not

One of my favorite things about the last week of school is all the fun and activities they have planned for the kids. One of the things Hayden had during in his last week was Buddy Day. It is such a great time for the kids. As I have taken the time to look back through these pictures I realize how much Hayden is growing up and how pleased we are at the young man he is becoming. I will be honest, when he was very little I was very concerned what his future would be like.

At nine-months-old we received the diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis Type-I for Hayden. When our pediatrician began telling me the possible things he could suffer from, once he got to seizure disorder, I didn't hear much else. We had all the testing done, MRI, hearing test, etc. Then we made the trek to Houston to an NF clinic @ MD Anderson. The head of the NF Clinic, Dr. John Slopis, put our mind at ease. Although during the year that Hayden was 2-3 years we had to go to Houston for MRI'S every 6 months due to a fear of him obtaining an optic glioma(which he ended up not having) his life has been good. When he was younger he walked with a limp and went through ECI Debt program to help him with motor skills and speech. We were concerned that he might have alot of difficulty as he grew. However through prayer and hard work Hayden is doing so well. We feel blessed at how well he is doing considering we know and have read about some individuals with NF that don't do well at all.

It gives my heart great joy when I see these pictures of him running, jumping and laughing because we never new if he would be able to do these things. The thing that gives me the most joy is that Hayden made the decision 2 wks ago that he wanted to become a follower of Christ. Our children's minister had some question if he really knew but after talking with him they have now doubt about his decision. This is what does a mom's heart good.

So although NF awareness month is over, don't forget about those that suffer from it and all the men and women that are investing time and money in the research for a cure. Bless all of them.

Actions

In the past I have written about trying to remain a Christian at work. It never ceases to amaze me how hard that can be sometimes. Working in the medical field and around lots of women you can only imagine the nit-picking, moaning and complaining that can occur. I have experienced it alot lately. There have been times it would be so easy for me to let my guard down and just ease into that destructive behavior. However, I have been blessed to have 2 individuals in my life that cause me to be my own accountability partner. They help me keep myself in check when you are standing all alone.

There have been times in my life I know that I did not betray myself as the Christian I claimed to be. In today's world, society tells us it is okay not to be held to these standards. Society tells us it is alright to just act the way we want with no consequences or strings attached. However, I have found myself when confronted by these negative powers around me, I have been able to take that step back and refrain from entertaining them. One thing The Bishop and M2 have taught me is that how I react to a situation is a reflection of my faith, my church family, and my God. The prayer, "Lord give me strength" really has meaning to me when I say it. I try to stop and listen to how He wants me to handle the situation.

I think that sometimes I become frustrated with those around me who claim to be a Christian yet they don't betray it in their actions and then I stop and think, "that used to be you stupid, you were the same way." So I hope that through my actions, I can also change the heart of those around me.

"I must make a conscious, deliberate, daily choice to sit at His feet, to listen to His Word, to receive His love, to let Him change me and to pour out my heart's devotion to Him." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Glorieta, NM or Bust

The great adventure of youth camp had an early morning start. Had Zach at The Heights by 7:30 this morning for the long haul to Glorieta, NM. He was so excited about getting to go although his biggest concern was having enough snacks and money in case he needed more food. He was very concerned about not eating.

I am so glad the Lord opened up doors that allowed for him to be able to go. Since our baseball team didn't make city tournament that commitment was taken care of. His school recommended that he attend summer school but it was not mandatory. I thanked them for their continued involvement in making sure he accels but I decided it was time for a break and he just needs to be a kid. This became very apparent to me after a comment Zach made last week to me. He said, "Mom, I am feeling very disconnected from Jesus. We have been so busy with baseball and I haven't been able to go to youth on Wednesday nights." I knew it was time for him to get back where he needed to be and camp was just the place.

Zach has such an awesome relationship with our youth pastor, JB, "The Bishop" and I am so thankful. God has that way of planting us around the people we need. JB makes our youth be accountable for their faith and helps them find their gifts in order to spread their faith. I am so thankful that we have The Bishop and his family in our lives. I has been such a blessing. So you guys enjoy the cool mountain air while we fry here in Lubbock.

Ultimate Sacrafice

Back around Easter my blog entry was about Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice for us. I asked the question of myself and others, Would I be willing to lay my life on the line for others for selfless reasons. I bring this back up for one reason, Keith Cypret.

If any of you have been following the struggle of Trey and Tyler Thompson you may have heard about Keith. Keith is a junior @ Munday High School and has worked for the Thompsons for some time. He was in the truck with the Thompsons when their horrible accident occurred. I have tried to play this accident in my mind. It had to be a horrible scene. Then my mind turns to Keith. Remember, he is only a junior in high school and he has the presence of mind to pull Trey and Tyler from this fiery wreckage. Was it just instinct or was there another force involved?

I haven't had the pleasure of knowing Keith but for some reason I feel he made that ultimate sacrifice and risked his own life and limb out of love. Out of his love for Trey and Tyler and out of his love for the Lord. I give Trey and Tyler some of this credit because these two men have taken the time to show a young man like Keith their unwavering love for the Lord. They have been examples to him that more young men need to have, not to be afraid in today's world to let your faith shine through and not to be ashamed of it.

No matter what drove Keith that day, I know the whole Thompson family is grateful to him and I have a feeling the Lord is grateful to him for letting him use him as a tool of love to save Trey and Tyler. I feel that He has great plans for these 3 individuals and I can't wait to see what they are.

Please continue prayer for all three of these guys but say an extra for Tyler. He has such a long road ahead of him and so many obstacles continue to block his road to recovery.

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." Deuteronomy 15:10

Happy Birthday Shawn!!

He would do it, believe me.

Today is my hubby's 37th birthday. It is hard to believe we have been together since he was 20. I must like him or something. We are finally the same age again. He always reminds me that we are only the same age from May to Sept when I turn a year older. Just wanted to let him know how much I do love him and I hope this is a great day for him. Love ya Shawn!

Memorial Day 2008

Even though I worked Sunday night and got about 1and a half of sleep, we headed out to take the boys fishing Monday. Sadly enough, Zach has fished many times, but as he got older and more involved with sports our fishing time did not exist. The biggest causality of this became Hayden.

Hayden had not been fishing since he was very small and does not even remember it. So, Shawn and I decided it was time for him to get started. We just ventured to one of the "lovely" playa lakes in town. Next thing we know he is catching fish like crazy. He got the nickname "The Fish Whisperer". Zach and Shawn finally started catching some. The final score: Hayden 4, Shawn 3, and Zach 4 plus a turtle catch. We really enjoy our time fishing and have made plans to go somewhere that there would be bigger fish we could keep and cook.(Here are a few pictures. Hope you enjoy them.)

Even though we had a great time fishing we also discussed the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. We discussed with the boys who in our family have served in the military. Great-grandfathers and great uncles that served in WWII , those that served in between wars like my dad, John, and Shawn's dad, Gary, that served in Vietnam. We also discussed those serving now and how different war is now. We remembered a brother of one of Zach's classmates that lost his life just before Christmas in a fire-fight in Iraq. Discussed with the boys the importance to remember these soldiers in their prayers. This was a wonderful day in our family's life. During this good time my thoughts come back to the Thompson family.

Trey and Tyler are having some set-backs. Please keep them in your prayers. They really need it.

Red Sox Rock!!

Okay, I know it is only Little League baseball but I believe I watched one of the best games I had seen in a long time last night. Our third place Red Sox were facing the first place Cubs. In our previous meetings with this team we had always stayed close the first couple of innings and then our error fest would start and they would blow us out. Last night started just the opposite.

Our team started with the enthusiasm of a sloth. I think our boys had in their minds that we could not beat this team. Granted this Cub's team is loaded with talented boys who have played together for many years, but our team has some talent and are starting to figure things out and are capable of beating anyone when they decide to.

The Cubs started their best pitcher who had us 3 up and 3 down in the first 2 innings. Our boys seemed scared to swing the bat. After Shawn had to get our boys attention and the Cubs changed pitchers, our team woke up. We were down 8-0 and we just started hitting. Our pitcher "C" did a good job during innings 2-3. Shawn brought Zach in to start the 4th and his pitching was on. Zach had 4 strike -outs, 2 fly-outs, and 3 ground-outs in innings 4-6. We won the game 10-8. It was awesome.

Shawn and I are very proud of this team. With lots of prayer, patience and hard work this team is finally coming around. We both agree that this has been the best experience of our lives. We hope we can continue to mentor these boys. Several have gone to church with us and really enjoy it. What fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures. (Hayden was taking them and I didn't even know it. Pretty good photography for a 7-yr-old. He is such a hoot.)

I would like to remind all of you to have continued prayer for Trey and Tyler Thompson. They have a long road ahead of them.