I Believe, I Believe!!



Charley and Santa - 2010

 One look at that Santa, with his real beard and the twinkle in his eye, made me want to throw my arms around him and say, "I believe, I believe!!"  But...I held back the urge. Instead, I took a bazillion pictures of Charley with him and even snuck in a couple of all of us sitting there with him in his big chair.  FUN!  Charley's first encounter with Santa was a huge success.

We met Santa at the Durham Museum in Omaha.  What a great place.  We had so much fun looking at the trains, streetcars, and other exhibits that portrayed Omaha's history.  And you should have seen the Christmas tree! Amazing!! It was the biggest tree I have ever seen!  Charley even enjoyed himself.  I know this because there was NO chance of him falling asleep (he was wound up tighter than a kite!), he went to bed early and is still sleeping now (it's almost 8:00 am!...Thank you, Lord, for a little quiet time!) 

As we were walking around, taking in all the sights, I couldn't help thinking, "Life is Good".  Spending time with my hubby and my sweet Charley.  Then, God threw me a curve ball. 

I overheard a young woman behind me say, "It's ok,sweetie.  You go play with Daddy, and I'll be upstairs waiting on you".  I turned to see her kiss her little boy, with huge tears in her eyes, and walk away.  The little boy looked up at his father and said, "Why doesn't Mommy want to come?"  This broke my heart for the little boy and I spent some time thinking about what just happened.  Were they divorced, and the boy was spending some time with his father who he doesn't see much?  Why is she crying?  I silently sent up a prayer for the young mother, asking for peace and understanding...thinking I wouldn't see her again.  God knew better.  This woman still needed prayers.

After about an hour and 1/2, Charley was getting hungry and Curtis needed some caffeine, so we headed back upstairs to the snack area to rest for a while.  I was sitting at our table, talking with Curtis and feeding Charley, when I saw the young mother again.  This time she was sitting alone on a long bench, crying...and watching US!  Talk about being humbled.  She was watching us...my little family that I was feeling so proud of.  When our eyes met, she turned away. So, instead of staring at her trying to figure out what she was thinking and why she was watching us, I turned and started praying again.  "Jesus, heal her heart and make yourself real to her.  Give her peace and allow her to feel your love for her". 

After a few minutes, the father returned with the son.  They exchanged cordial words while the child played with a toy train that his father had bought him.  The father left and the mother walked away with her child.  Did I do enough?  Should I have approached a total stranger and prayed with her, talked with her, or even shared with her that Jesus loves her and wants to take up residence in her heart? 

I don't know.  It seems that God keeps putting these experiences in my lap.  It can't be coincidence.  This is the second time I have encountered a stranger that needed prayer.  And that's what I did, but nothing more.  Did I obey?  "Father, forgive me for the things I DON'T do and give me courage to do the things You call me to do.  Please give me discernment and keep my heart humble to open to your will."

I challenge each of you to keep your eyes and heart open to the Holy Spirit.  He's alive and at work...and He may just want to use you when you least expect it.


Love to ya!
Shell



"Can we go see Santa, AGAIN?"



This Little Man

has changed my life, stolen my heart, and shown me that GOD'S plan is ALWAYS better than what I have in my mind.  As he naps this Thanksgiving morning, I'm reminded how blessed I truly am.  I never thought I could top the Thanksgiving that Curtis and I spent with Claudia in 2008 when we relaxed at home and made our own Thanksgiving meal, but...this one is turning out, well...

This Thanksgiving has been AWESOME!  We ALL (even Charley!) slept late, ate a BIG breakfast of biscuits and gravy and homemade banana bread (ok, some of us...Charley had applesauce, cereal and formula), and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while enjoying a warm fire.  We have taken a nap and now we're getting "all dressed up" for a nice Thanksgiving dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

God has richly blessed my life with so many things for which I am grateful...family, friends, church, a warm house, plenty to eat, the opportunity to stay home and watch Charley grow, a husband who loves me unconditionally...and most importantly grace.  Grace for my sins, for not always trusting Him completely, for being too afraid to obey.  He has shown me that He loves me enough to cover me in His grace while redirecting my paths.  What an awesome God we serve!

So, as I continue to enjoy this Thanksgiving Day, I'm able to look back on the day, when we had Claudia, and remember the happy moments, the laughs, giggles, and the blessed feeling I had in my heart.  God knew He needed us in her life for only a short while.  He knew that we needed a whole year to heal before he brought us a new foster child, and He knew that Charley would steal my heart (even though I would have never believed it until it happened!)  

Enjoy this day and take the opportunity to "count your blessings and name them one by one..."

Love to ya!

Shell



Charley - Thanksgiving Day 2010



Claudia Rose - Thanksgiving Day 2008



Claudia Rose and PoPo- Thanksgiving Day 2008

 


Charley- Thanksgiving 2010

 

Cornucopia...

How's that for a Thanksgiving week title!? 

It's been a while since I've posted.  I'm not quite for sure why, other than Charley is requiring much more of my time during the day.  Do I need another excuse?  Some days...after all the feedings, diaper changes, playtimes, visits from therapy & caseworkers, and "putting down" for naps, I'm confused as to where the day has gone. But, I wouldn't change a thing!  This has been the best job I've ever had.  Which brings me to the title of my post..."Cornucopia".  I have lots of thoughts in my head today and as I considered which one I would blog about, I decided "all of them".   Sort of a "I'm thankful for..." list, but not really.

First and foremost, today is somewhat of a milestone for Curtis and I.  This day has been the 2nd most anticipated day of the past 4 1/2 years (the first being graduation, of course).  Curtis finishes his 5th pharmacy rotation today, and he will have time off of school until JANUARY 10!!  Yep, that's what I said!  The Prichard household is officially on "Holiday" until JANUARY 10!!!  We are so looking forward to spending some quality time together (doing absolutely nothing!), going to Missouri to see family (whom we miss terribly!), and loving on Charley (which is a given!).

Charley...this little boy LOVES his PoPo!  I'm thinking that he is the most excited about Curtis having all this extra time.  I have a feeling he's going to demand quite a bit of "Daddy time".  I love to watch those two together.  What a joy!  I'm thankful that Charley has Curtis in his life right now, to be a stable father figure.  I never thought it would make such a difference at such a young age.

Curtis, Charley and I are spending Thanksgiving in Omaha.  Just the three of us.  It's sort of bittersweet.  I'm looking forward to spending this time with my little family, but I would love to have my parents and my brother and his family here.  Because of Charley's biological family visits and the cost of plane tickets, we can't go to them for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So, it's a day of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in our PJ's, then out to dinner at a restaurant that overlooks the river and downtown Omaha.  God is good...

"Good" is how I feel about having ALL my Christmas decorating DONE!  I started early this year because I had a feeling that it would take me more than a couple of days with a little one to tend to (I was right!).  I bought new tree decorations last year during the Christmas clearance, so it was like opening presents while decorating!  Note to self...I should do this more often!

As you can see, not much has happened with me in the last few weeks, other than changing a few dirty diapers (ok, MORE than a few!), talking and giggling with a baby who has just recently found his voice, and tending to a husband who has every day, tirelessly worked a 12 hour day (without pay..ugh) to get himself a little closer to the goal of completing the task for which he was called here to do.

Thank you, Lord, for plucking us from our comfort zone to call us to tasks that only YOU can complete through us.  You have blessed our lives immeasurably.  May we always see your hand in the activities of our lives.  To YOU we give all the glory. Amen.

Love to ya!
Shell

Charley's "Sixth Sense"??

Just a short post tonight about a silly thing that happened to me in the "wee hours of the morning"...

Charley is still waking up most nights anytime between 2:30 and 4:00 am for a feeding. I have complained about this in the past, but the fact of the matter is...my body and brain are accustomed to it.  I'm on auto-pilot now. Of course, when he decides to wait until 4:00 am, I thank my lucky stars, but I'm also in a much deeper sleep.  Last night, I woke up and looked at the clock...3:30 am.  "YES!" was my first thought.  "Oh, be very still" was my second thought.  You see, I was convinced that Charley wakes up EVERY time I wake up and move in the slightest way.  It seems that this has happened several times this week.  I just couldn't figure it out.  He's asleep in his room, with the noise of a humidifier, and the door pulled almost shut.  How could he know when I wake up??  So, I lay there, holding my breath, still as a mouse, until I hear that he's not going to be consoled without my presence (or a bottle!). :-)

What's actually happening, of course, is that I'm waking up to Charley's babbling for me.  But, for some reason, that didn't occur to me until this morning, when I was awake enough (after a couple cups of coffee) to think about it.  I chuckled at how silly this was, but endearing at the same time.  It's funny to me that I was able to fool myself into thinking that I was waking up "on my own" and that Charley could somehow sense that.

Now, off to bed again tonight.  It's nice to know I don't need to torture myself by holding my breath and not moving a muscle!  "Little Wild Man" will already be awake and waiting for MoMo to come rescue him with a bottle.

Love to ya!
Shell

Dedicating Charley

Last Sunday, Curtis and I dedicated Charley to the Lord.  This was one of the most precious, memorable days I have ever experienced.  Going into it, I was nervous.  Charley is our foster child and I wasn't sure this was even "legal" in the eyes of our agency or the state.  But, it was something we wanted to do and we felt like it was the right thing to do.  It was a way to seal our commitment to Christ and to Charley, that we would raise him to serve and love Christ...no matter how long he is or is not with us. 

The day started with us actually making it to church on time!! (a small miracle)  Curtis and I had e-mailed a few of our friends about Charley's dedication, and had asked them to pray with us, for Charley, during the service.  I was a little heavy-hearted because our family couldn't be there and we don't have an abundance of friends here in Omaha.  I wanted to share this special time with anybody and everybody that was willing to take part!

As people started arriving, I was overjoyed to see the whole Friesen family there to support Charley.  They even sat in the row with us (and passed Charley around, of course!)  They are our second family here.  Roger and Denise are dear friends and their daughters, Emma and Sadie, LOVE Charley.  I also saw some of the other friends that we had e-mailed earlier in the week.  I was starting to feel a little more "love". :-)

The dedication began with pictures scrolling on the screen of the 11 babies being dedicated.  One of our pastors, Matthew, read scripture, talked about our responsibilities as parents, and asked us to stand to make a verbal commitment together.  Charley's name was announced and we were introduced as his foster parents.  (I could have sworn that I saw Curtis's chest swell a little with pride).  Then, Matthew asked the congregation to surround each family and pray for the child.  I can't tell you how many people surrounded us that day, because I didn't take a good look around. But, I do know that I felt like there were more people reaching out their hands to us, covering us in prayer, than I ever expected.  It was like being in the middle of a crowd of angels.  I was humbled by such expression of love by so many people, some of whom barely knew us or Charley.  The words prayed aloud gave me a determination to fulfill my commitment to Charley, and the silent prayers that I heard mumbled gave me an indescribable peace.  But, the most touching prayer of all, was that prayer prayed by a father for his son.  Curtis prayed for Charley selflessly and without reservation.  I know Charley couldn't understand what his PoPo was saying, while he sat safely in his arms, staring up at him...but I hope that somehow, someday, he will be able to feel the words that Curtis prayed.

After the dedication, we had a time of worship.  God's presence filled the room and I sensed that He was as close to me as He had ever been.  As I raised my hands in praise, I felt like I was touching his feet as He sat on the throne.  It's rare that I get a picture from Him that's so vivid, so I knew this was a treasure.

Before worship time ended, Charley ended up back in my arms (after being passed around again. :-)  Happens frequently at church!).  Charley is a snuggler, but doesn't usually lay his head on my chest due to his awful congestion problem.  But, on this day, Charley snuggled up to my chest, head on my shoulder, and seemed to squeeze me tight.  He was loving on me and it just pierced my heart!  So, I stood there, loving him back, "trying" to hold back tears of joy, love, and feeling EXTREMELY blessed. 

Charley's dedication was a day I will never forget.  I wish that all of you that read this post could have been there with us.  Know that you were there in our hearts.

Love to ya,
Shell