Sunday

I don't know how to start this post. I don't really have the words for today. I just sit and reflect but have no voice for it all.


A few weeks ago during Sunday School, I mentioned that we will be taking Asa back to Houston in June. My teacher made a comment or two and that was the end of the conversation. Until the next day! My teacher called and said she'd talked to some people and they wanted to have a benefit for us and wanted to let us know of the date! LOL! A benefit had been mentioned several times since Asa's birth but we always turned it down. We kept thinking we might have some huge need and then we'd need to do a benefit. On this Monday, though, she wouldn't take no for an answer! I'm sure I could have completely resisted but something in her voice, in her spirit, made me say Ok, hesitantly.

What I thought was gonna be a lunch after church soon turned into a lunch after church, a special song service and an invite to several other neighboring churches! I'm not sure I signed up for ALL of this! :)

I've been involved in benefits for others before. It is a time of celebration and the feeling like you are helping. I love being on the working side of this coin. The receiving side is much harder, at least for me! I've felt awkward and needy in the last few weeks. I wasn't given many details and certainly no "job" so I felt a little useless and like I was doing all the taking with no giving. It is an odd feeling! I was so nervous about this day for several weeks.

And then the day was here! It was a little weird for a while. Had this been for someone else, it would have been an awesome party, I thought. Then it hit me! All of these people came for lunch with us, for Asa. All of these wonderful people spent their Sunday afternoon singing with us! All of these families rejoiced, celebrated and worshiped with us!!! People who we have known and loved for our entire lives. People we've only just recently joined with. People who we don't even know. I was blown away.

The lunch was great! I'm not sure what it was like behind the scene but it seemed to go perfectly! The singing was amazing! So much talent! Such a worshipful service. To be joined with so many from other churches, other families, other walks of life and all of us worshiping and being ministered to was awesome. I don't know how I held it together all day! Definitely divine intervention!

When it was all said and done, over $4000 was raised! I know, unbelievable!!! Again, stunned silence. I just keep reading that number over and over again! I don't know what we did to be so blessed by so many.

So many could share our same journey, our same path. We only do what must be done. We only do what any parent would do. And it is not by any of our own strength. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who understand that faith and trust in a God who is Love is the only way I can do anything I'm thrown into. God has blessed us so much!

Thank you all who participated today! The old friends and family who came. The new friends who showed out! Those who spread the word and brought others! Those who cooked and cleaned and planned the smallest details. Those who sang and shared and let us worship with them! Thank you to EVERYONE! Your presence and prayers are what we desire most! Thank you giving us both!

And the best news is that Asa made it through the whole day without a crash or puking. I can't remember the last time that happened! And we are talking some major stressors today...it was crowded, it was warm, it was loud. It was not his environment but he did great!! If that isn't a testament to God's plan, then I don't know what is!


We did have one slight mishap this morning. As I was putting Asa into the van to go to church, he jerked and hit his forehead on the door. The fact that he had strength enough to jerk either means I'm getting weak or he is getting strong. Anyway, instantly he got a huge bruise and bump on his head! GREAT! But no tears, no crying, no freaking out and puking! Nothing but a nasty bump! WOW!

Tomorrow we go to Vandy for a GI appt. This is a new GI and I hope she has some ideas of how we can stop this puking! I reeeeaaally hope she has some ideas. We can't make any progress in oral feeds unless we stop the puking....in my mommy opinion!

Thank you God for such wonderful friends and family! Bless each one as richly as You have blessed our family! May we only let Your light shine through our lives. Amen.