Words of Inspiration

I'm still really not in much of a writing mood but I thought I would post something that was on my mind. It's also something I thought would be an encouragement to others! God Bless! Jen

Quick Update

I just wanted to let all of my followers know that I had sinus surgery so I have not been feeling well enough to blog. Hopefully soon I will feel better to get back into the swing of things and begin posting again.
God Bless, Jen
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                       

What If

Even though I'm a very optimistic person it's only natural for me to have days when I'm down and not so positive. Being a mother of a special needs child isn't always easy but I wouldn't trade it for anything. For the past few days I've been thinking about how far my son has come and how extremely blessed we are. However, I can't help but think about the "what ifs." What if he's still in pull ups for a couple more years? What if he's never able to write his name or a complete sentence? What if it takes him a really long time before he's able to ride a bike? What if he's not able to tie his shoes? What if he's not able to take care of himself one day and be independent? These are the questions I ask myself a lot and wonder if other parents of special needs kids wonder the same things. My mom is constantly reminding me that I can't worry about the "what ifs" and I should look at the things that he IS able to do. Focus on the things he CAN do and not on what he can't. I was really struggling last week with this and I had to take a time out to thank God for all of the things that my lil man has accomplished. Years ago drs thought he may never walk or talk and there were several times he almost didn't make it. He surprised all of us by walking and talking. I also remember a time when I thought he would never say a word, never be able to drink through a straw, never be able to walk up and down stairs without holding on to the rail, never be able to drink from a cup or feed himself, never be able to dress himself, and never learn his abc's, shapes, colors, and months of the year. He surprised everyone with all of those things too, he just did it in his own time. I honestly believe that he will reach the other milestones when he's ready as well. My advice for other parents is to not give up hope because usually the ones that drs say won't ever do anything are the ones that surprise us when we least expect it.

I've also learned that getting down about it and thinking negatively will only make the situation worse. It gives into that pessimistic frame of mind and I refuse to let Satan get to me or my son. I want to give God the glory and let Him be in control of my thoughts and my son's life. I'm so grateful that the Lord ALWAYS has His hands on my lil man and is always protecting both him and I. I'm grateful that He has given me the knowledge to go through this process and the strength to overcome it. And just when I need to be reminded of how I need to stay positive and how blessed I truly am, God has special ways of revealing those thoughts to me. Just when I least expected it, while my son and I were at the library, he sits down to color on a sheet of paper and says "Look mommy I drew a circle!" Sure enough on that paper was a beautiful red circle! 

Life's Too Short

A few days ago the scariest thing happened and it will forever be etched in my mind. My son and I were driving on the interstate on our way home from Jacksonville. We were in the right lane and there was an Explorer a few feet in front of us in the left lane. All of a sudden the Explorer's tire blew and the person started swerving. The car came over into the right lane, hit the guard rail, and flipped about 3 times landing upside down. The car was pretty much crushed. It happened so fast, within only a few seconds. I immediately pulled over to help and the car behind me was already calling 911. Other cars stopped to help as well. As soon as the car stopped flipping and landed a guy crawled out along with his teenage daughter. I yelled and asked if anyone else was in the car. He then proceeded to get his wife out. Everyone was out and I was so relieved. I kept thinking how glad I was that there were no small children or babies in the car and that no one was trapped. The cops and rescue got there in about 10 minutes. The victims had blood all over their faces and I ran and got a blanket out of my car for the woman to apply pressure to her bleeding forehead. One woman that came to help before rescue got there was a nurse. Never in my life had my pulse beated that fast! And I also thought how grateful I was that I was CPR and First Aid certified. You never know when you're going to have to use it, that's why it's such a good idea for everyone to get certified.

After rescue had gotten there one of the cops got my information since I witnessed everything first hand. God was not only looking out for those people but He was also looking out for my son and I. If I had been driving a few feet further up the car would have ran us off the road and possibly flipped on top of us. It was literally something I have seen in action movies and I felt like I was on a movie set. I was just amazed at how the people crawled out of the car and got out so fast.

That experience taught me that life really is short and we never know what the future holds. Now I'm even more thankful for the small things in life and I don't take one single thing for granted. I've learned that there is power in people coming together and reaching out helping hands. God uses small situations as well as big in order to get our attention. Now more than ever do I have the desire to find a great church for myself and my son and to have a better relationship with Christ. Don't ever let the sun go down being mad or angry at someone and forgive with ALL your heart. Always hug your loved ones and tell them how much you love them. Say what you mean and mean what you say! Thank God for every breath you take! Angels are everywhere and it's up to us to recognize it. Be kind to everyone because you never know what a person is going through and it could be their last day on this earth.

Don't Quit

Don't quit when the tide is lowest, for it's just about to turn. Don't quit over doubts and questions,
for there's something you may learn. Don't quit when the night is darkest, for it's just a while 'til
dawn; don't quit when you've run the farthest for the race is almost won. Don't quit when the hill
is steepest, for your goal is almost nigh; don't quit, for you're not a failure until you fail to try.

~ Jill Wolf ~

A Woman's Footprints

One night a woman had a dream- she walked by the sea on the strand and images of her life appeared

along with some marks in the sand. Just her footprints and the Lord's- two sets, but sometimes one;

it seemed as if this happened when there was the most to be done. When she carried so many burdens,

and there was so much to do, she wondered why the Lord had not been there to help her through.

She questioned the Lord about it: "You said You'd be there for me, but it seems whenever I needed

You most, Your footprints I do not see. The Lord replied, "My daughter, I did what I promised to do-

when you see just one set of footprints, the opposite thing is true: while you were carrying everything

else, it was then that I carried you." ~ Jill Wolf ~

God Always Hears Us

I have always been a firm believer in the power of prayer. The past few weeks have been very stressful but I have managed to keep my head up. First off let me start out by saying that I now know what the saying "too good to be true" means. After several bad relationships with men I thought I really came across a great guy. All of my previous qualities that I had looked for in a guy were different with him, and I mean that in a good way. For some reason I've never dated a guy who had the qualities that a woman should look for and expect. Well, I thought this one could have been a keeper! But, low and behold I was wrong AGAIN! Turned out he wasn't what I thought and basically just stopped talking to me; I was dumped through a text. Ultimate no no! Before that happened I asked God to basically show me if he wasn't the one for me. Well, the text was my answer from God! Even though it took me a while to bounce back into the swing of things I bounced back even stronger than before. I realized that I'm still not going to change because of ANOTHER guy who did me wrong. I deserve the BEST and I know I will one day find it. For now I'm okay with being single. God showed me through that experience that just because we go through a rough patch in our lives doesn't mean we have to lose our integrity in the process. I know I will make someone happy one day but right now might not be my time. God also heard my prayers about my son's surgery. We have been praying that my son's airway will grow and that his hearing will not get worse. On the day of surgery the dr said that his airway grew, he was able to close the trach hole, and his hearing had gotten better! Praise God! He might not have to wear his hearing aids anymore either. Seven years ago, before my little man was born, God had His hands on me and him... and He still does! God is the same today, yesterday, and forever! I will always be a believer and never forget that everything happens for a reason. We must always learn from our experiences and make the best of them. Just because life gets us down doesn't mean we have to stay down. Get up and keep it movin!
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." ~Christopher Reeves~