A Decade, Really??

It hardly seems possible that 10 years ago today I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first child!  No, I was not lying around pregnant and craving pickles and ice cream, but I was anxiously awaiting on the amazing gift of adoption.  For years and years we had tried to have a baby of our own, and yet when that baby was placed in my arms there was NEVER a doubt that he was OURS!

He cried constantly for the first 3 months, but then he slept one night from midnight until 6 a.m.! Daddy and I were thrilled and we got him up and looked out and it was snowing! And he had the starring role of playing Baby Jesus at Bethlehem Revisited that night! What a 24 hours!

The past 10 years have had so many changes in our lives, as well as the lives of those around the world.  We celebrated his very first birthday with a big party on 9/11/01.  The day that changed us all. Forever.  We took him to see Ground Zero on his 8th birthday. We want him to know how things were and how they are, but mostly the God that was there with us through it all.  We want him to stand tall as a Christian and as an American and as an amazing leader among his peers.

There are so many stories I could put here, the way he use to say "bwess chu mama" when I would sneeze, or the way he has loved on his favorite stuffed animal and his baby blanket for years!  Seeing him at the beach, or on a basketball court, or singing with his choir, on the baseball field, or tenderly holding his new baby sister.

Of course that does remind me of a story of a couple of weeks ago...Landri was talking NONstop and Turner was out of patience with her.  I looked at him and grinned and said, "Awww, Turner, remember those days where you would pray and pray for your baby sister?" to which he replied, "Yes, ma'am, but then she started talking!!" Oh how that kid can make me laugh! And no one makes Landri giggle harder than he does.

Well, he is growing up, time is passing so quickly.  I thank God that he did make the decision last year to ask Jesus into his precious heart.  Did that make him perfect? Not hardly, but it does make him teachable to learn those valuable truths we hold dear.  A heart open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct him in every day decisions even now as a child, which we pray will be just a way of life when he is grown.

Is he sheltered? Absolutely! And i'm not ashamed of that. There will be movies, tv shows, books, music and other things I will not want him to see or hear or read....I will keep his innocence of childhood for as long as I can! He IS my baby and I want him to learn the ways of our Lord before the world is thrown at him.  I pray for God to guard his heart and trust that our faithful God molds him, holds him, and leads him every day of his life.
Happy Birthday, John Turner! I love you. So. Very. Much!