Drake, your seventh birthday, Bubby. It is hard to understand all your little seven year old body has lived through.
Last year when your heart stopped…
it…
in a way…
changed everything.
Time, energy, focus shifted.
Daddy and I have always been told you and sissy were born dying… really we all are.
You two just remind us daily of how precious life is.
You started smiling this year.
Your spinal cord was injured from your heart stopping last year, and left you unable to use both of your legs, 75% of your brain impacted, and a severely twisted spine has resulted.
We just had to learn a new
way, Bud.
Don’t give up…set backs come. You are stronger than you know. Trust me, I know, because we watch you everyday defy the odds.
Watching brother run his bases at his baseball games, while everyone cheered, made for fun exercises we would do with you each night. The bigs especially love to play with you. We all would take turns "running" your legs around the “bases" as we cheered for how fast you were running….
To our surprise….
one day you smiled…
for the first time ever without a seizure causing it.
You smile with both sides of your little lips…and sometimes… if you are really tickled, you smile big enough for us to see your four big boy teeth. Once we realized we could get a smile, we kept your legs running! It makes our days.
All the “running" must have done some good, because you have started moving your right leg again. Your left is slighter, but still, if you sit very still you can see the little muscles firing.
Doctors are saying it must be a ‘partial' paralyzation…
We say…only God.
You will walk one day, son.
I truly believe God will grant you this ability, and we will continue to pray for you to defy the odds at whatever pace and scale God has for you.
Don’t you listen when they say you can’t.
Just nod and agree.
You can’t….. Y. E. T.
Your most recent adventure is that you learned to say, “Cheese”.
We moved our family of seven late in the summer to our perfect middle, as we begin an exciting journey. All our energy went into selling and moving our previous home, and so we took everyone to the coast to relax and enjoy being still together. God provided a gorgeous house that was almost too good to be true (I'll share more later) and we soaked it up together. Watching sunsets, sitting with Jesus, listening to the waves crash.
It was truly inspiring.
I dressed us all up as we were going for our carriage ride in Charleston. We took some family pictures on the patio before we loaded to go. We all were counting and “cheesing” and I noticed Drake was pursing his lips. Drake expressing himself through his lips is not new, and we always thought it was cute to watch him, but this time he would only do it when we said, “say cheese”.
After many times, and realizing that was what he was doing, I quickly took my video out and have the cutest video of us all laughing and enjoying his sweet communication.
I sent it to your therapist and your doctors, buddy, as you bring such light to their heavier days.
You are a miracle son.
I can’t take the suffering you have experienced away, or stop the suffering that may still come….But I can tell the story of God’s faithfulness and provisions through your life by writing your story.
Drake, Daddy, Mommy, and your siblings adore you, and so many more. You and sissy, and all our babies, make our lives so full and our hearts so grateful that Father allowed us to be your parents.
The pain, the suffering, the heartache….
God’s realness, His power, His endurance….
You make us better…stronger…and more full of hope.
Happy Birthday baby….seven is the year of completeness. We can not wait to see how God will reveal Himself through your life this year.
Lord, please give us the strength and endurance to make your name known through it all.
To God be the Glory.
Forever.
Amen.