Life Changing

On the group A Gift of the Home (https://www.facebook.com/groups/GiftoftheHome/), the question of the day for today is:
What is something that has changed your life and made you who you are today?



Wow, that's a deep question for me. I had a hard time with what to write, so bear with me...I grew up in a Christian loving 2 parent home. My Mama was the mom that did all the bake sales, cub scout leader, brownie helper, classroom mom...you get the picture. She was there after school-we had snacks, she helped with homework, she taught us about housework and life lessons...we were not dirt poor but we were pretty poor at one time. I didn't know!
Fast forward to the year 1999... We were a young family of 3 about to add a second child making us a family of 4 - how we wanted it. I really wanted either 2 or 4 children. God heard me - he saw to it that we were going to have two beautiful sons!
Here is where it all started to come crashing down around us - sort of...When our youngest (H) was Born on Earth - our older son (D) was not quite 3 years old. He was so excited to be having a brother. We went to church, we read Bible stories, we praised God, we leaned on Him for all things. H was born with a rare brain disorder called Holoprosencephaly (HPE for short). Please visit Families for HoPE at http://familiesforhope.org/
When H was discharged from the hospital, we brought him to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) for a cleft lip and palate consultation. (He was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate) We were told by the geneticist that H wouldn't live to be 6 months. He would be a vegetable. We were told by several that H wouldn't live long. We were told we could put him in a home and let them worry about him.
After our initial shock and my hysterical crying, I dropped to my knees. Literally, I dropped to my knees. I knew that only He could guide me through this. He provided us with the ability to focus - first things first, we researched. We did as much research as we could (ok, mostly the hubs did). When we realized there was no surgery to correct this, no medication that could be taken, we then had to focus on what was best for H. What did God want us to do with H? How were we suppose to care for a very active not quite 3 year old boy and a baby boy who was facing serious medical problems? We needed His touch. Only something He could provide. Only God would know for sure how long H was to be with us. Fast forward to the 6 month mark, H was still with us. 1 year, yep, still with us. 2 yrs. Yep! 3 years - What?? Yes, still with us. And, H is in preschool!! Learning!!! 4 years - I can't believe it. Still here! Now, that doesn't mean all was just grand. H struggled a lot at times. I struggled watching H struggling. But...we did have good times. D taught his brother H to roll a ball, to play Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. His preschool teacher saw H loved frogs, so she taught him the Five Green and Speckled Frogs song. And, Make A Wish sent us on a trip! All the while we were praising God, praying to God, teaching about God, loving God. Did I question sometimes? Yes, I questioned, but not like you think. I didn't say why me. It was mostly, what can I do differently? Am I doing the right thing? Every surgery H faced, we prayed that we were doing it because it would help H and that it was God was guiding us. I prayed for peace for H. I saw him getting tired. I wanted my little boy to have some peace - I don't think that was too much to ask.
When H reached the 4 years and 9 months mark...H takes his last breath on earth and is born into Heaven. D is not quite 8. Our world is even more rocked than it had been before. It has been 9 years since my little boy was born into Heaven. It has been 9 years of tears, anger, depression, smiles, laughter, sadness, giggles - because we did not turn our back on God. We had Hope. I haven't always been obedient. But I have always had Faith. Some of you have heard me say this before - I have always had Faith! Sometimes strong strong strong Faith. Sometimes weaker Faith, but ALWAYS Faith. I thank God each and every day for giving me the parents he did. For without them teaching me about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and our God...I would not be here today!