What are the three most memorable moments — good or bad, happy or sad — in your life? Go!

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you have read my blog for awhile, you probably could name my top memorable moments –  the births of my dozen children, the deaths of two of my children, the birth of my grand-daughter, the marriages of three of my children, the heart surgeries for my daughter, etc.  Instead, I am going to tell about my third born child and the miracles in his life and how God has so uniquely protected his life.

He’s my third born son, now 24 years old. He had spinal meningitis when he was barely a week old.  I remember the screams from his little body as they poked and poked his spine but could not get it just right.  He came through it, by God’s grace, with no side affects.  Miracle #1

My husband was building a small pole barn building and our son was probably 4 years old and very much interested in what daddy was doing, wanting to “help”. As my husband was putting some boards up very high, one came down and hit him in the head, knocking him down.  My husband swooped him up and rushed him into the house. He was crying, but we could find no bumps or bruises.  Miracle #2

This same son, got too close to me when he was about 6 years old, as I turned around from the stove with a potful of soup and bumped right into him, spilling down the front of him.  I ran after him with a pitcher of cold water.  We took him in to the doctor and he was treated.  He has a small scar from it.  Miracle #3

Years later when he was probably 14 or 15 years old he was cutting our lawn on a lawn tractor and did not see a hole the dogs had dug, hit it with one wheel, got out of it quick, but with the quickness of it, it made him steer into the neighbor’s chain link fence.  He kept going – through it, the link fencing loosening, and him ducking down,  Besides a few scratches from the fencing, he was unhurt.  Our neighbors saw it happen, and thought for sure, it was going to kill him. Miracle #4

And then he began to drive a three wheeler – maybe to get mom used to him driving a car.  The neighbors called me on him – he was driving too fast.  He flipped it one day, did not get hurt, so when he flipped it a few days later and was hurt, this mom did not give much sympathy.  His shoulder hurt and his dad ended up taking him into ER.  In the meantime, his younger brother went out to get the three-wheeler near the end of our drive and found a metal strap had caught in the front wheel which is why it stopped suddenly and flipped it.  It was not the way he was driving it.  So, I went to the hospital to apologize and then found out he’d need surgery which included three pins in his shoulder.  He made it through two surgeries for this – putting the pins in and taking them out.  It was such a painful surgery for him.  I am thankful it was only his shoulder – not his neck or back or his life.  Miracle #5

Yes, he’s now driving a car.  I am sure I do not know about the many close calls – he knows how to protect my heart!  But there was one time, I was texting him, not knowing he was driving, and he went off the road and hit a tree and got stuck on a stump.  He did let me know later what happened, that he was ok – and then found out it was when I was texting him.  Ugh.  I was not happy, but very thankful that God protected him.  Miracle #6  

This now 24 year old young man is now managing and operating a cellular phone repair store which he opened and is about to open another one.  He has a God-given gift with music – with both singing and playing a guitar. I know God has something special planned for his future, and it’s neat to see how it unfolds for him and remember how God protected him through numerous, what could have been, life taking incidents.  

I love you my double-dimpled darling – proud of you too!

Weekly Writing Challenge: Power of Names

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ith having a dozen named children,  many have asked how we came up with names or if it was difficult with the younger ones to find names.  I enjoy names.  I enjoy finding the meaning of names.  And with each of our children, we specifically chose names that had meaning – sometimes after someone; sometimes for the time we were in our lives.  As these children grow up, I see how their names really fit them.  I will share about our kid’s names, though with most of our children, I will just share about their middle names.  They are in no particular order too.

Matthew Norman ~ Our “forever 16” year old son in heaven. Matthew means “Gift of God” and how often we do not realize what a treasure someone is til they are gone. His first name a Bible name; his middle name after his dad and grandpa.  Though our Matthew was never a “tax collector” as the Matthew was in Scripture, he was one to be very inventive with ways of making money . . . and his heart was towards missions, even thinking of becoming a missionary pilot.  I like to think that despite the way he died, his story is told to prayerfully prevent other kids from dying as he did – and in a sense, still a missionary.

Levi – our son born a couple years after Matthew was gone – and has the new name Jesus gave Matthew – Levi.  He is not taking Matthew’s place.  Levi means joining or adhere – and we are so thankful for him joining our family after such heartache.

Angela Hope – our daughter born still at 36 weeks.  I cannot remember the name we originally had planned for her, but do remember her middle name was going to be Angela.  We change it to Angela Hope – because of the hope we have in Jesus to see her again.

Bernard – our son’s middle name – named after his dad and grandpa.

Henry – our son’s middle name, after my grandpa.  When he was young he used to think his middle name was either Hungry  or Hurry !  🙂

Faith – After going through a difficult time, switching churches, being criticized for “falling away” from legalistic Christianity, our faith still was strong.

Melody Grace – This name so goes together – After our daughter born still, because of God’s grace we were given a new melody in our home to allow our hearts to sing again.

Timothy – son named after an uncle and after Timothy in the Bible.  Timothy means meaning honoring God, or dear to God, something I pray for all my children.

Louise & Jean – Middle names of twin daughters – named after both sides of family.

Heidi – named after the Heidi book – my favorite childhood book.  She then named her daughter Elsie, after her favorite childhood book, Elsie Dinsmore.

Jessica Joy – I’ve written about her a lot on my blog.  She’s my only child born at home and child who has triumphed through three open heart surgeries and gallbladder surgery.  Jessica means “God beholds”.  And joy – well you know that.  Despite her heart surgeries and spinal problems, she is a joyful girl who radiates Jesus.

Rose – A daughter who truly has rosy cheeks, who loves to sing for Jesus.

I probably could write a book on all their names – so many stories came to mind with each of my children, how their names fit them – how really, God placed their names on our hearts to give them.