Nicholas James (1:17): We're off to the beach!!!!!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

We're off to the beach!!!!!

We are getting ready to go the beach and we are SO excited!!! Last year we were supposed to go to the beach but had to cancel because Nicholas was still in the hospital. It was so heartbreaking for me and Stephen as parents to have to tell the kids we were not going. They had such a rough summer with everything that happened to Nicholas and then they did not get their vacation. But as great as they are they excepted it with so much understanding beyond their ages. Well, last minute we had this very nice and giving family offer their beach house to us! Yes, we could go on a vacation-all of us including Nicholas. What a blessing!!

Well, my little drama king son decided the week we were to go to have feeding issues. He started refluxing really bad and started getting sick. So we delayed the trip one day, two days and then three days. Finally our great pediatric surgeon told us to come to Brenner and he would get a temporary fix for Nicholas so we could go to the beach. He was SO kind!! He really wanted us to go to the beach. He even gave us his number in case we needed him. So we headed to the beach with Nicholas and his lovely feeding tube in his nose. See the picture!!! I had forgoteen how sickly he looked-still precious but boy was he was not feeling well (this was only 2 months after his surgery and being on life support)

Nicholas did not get better at the beach. He started having a fever and was bleeding out his vent tube. So we had to cut the trip short and head back to Brenner. He spent a week in the hosptial.

So we come to this year. We are so excited. Please pray for our trip. That Nicholas will remain well with no incidences. Pray for our children. They deserve this trip so much. They have been through so much in their little lives and have handled it so well. We love them so much and want this trip for them!!! Thank you Lord for our children and many blessing in our lives. Thank you for our wonderful friends and family who have blessed us with so much love and support. Thank you for everything we have gone through with Nicholas. It has brought us closer to you and closer together as a family!!

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The Broken Gift

In August of 2008, I felt led to begin writing a book about our journey with Nicholas. The purpose of the book was to be twofold: First, I felt a strong sense to intimately share with others our journey of faith. It was my desire that people who were facing tremendous “life storms” as I call them, to see that God is faithful in all circumstances. Secondly, and much more selfishly, I wanted to present Lisa with the ultimate gift, a book about her son.

I began praying that God would open the doors if that were to be His will. I shared this with only one person, Chris Lewis, and asked him to be in prayer with me. Before I gave God the chance to answer me, I had already begun writing. Five months later, I had written six full chapters. During the process, I would occasionally email Chris a copy for his input. Unfortunately, he was a bit too encouraging, and the process continued.

Chapters six and seven began to slow me down. I was beginning to feel that my writing had become more about me than anything else. Additionally, I was becoming concerned that the book was taking on the form of a journal. I knew from research that journal style books were not welcome in the tough world of book publishing.

Chris had a friend in publishing who agreed to read my manuscript and give me advice. His advice stopped me cold in my tracks. It was just as I had suspected, the manuscript was too much of a journal. Strangely though, I was relieved. I had become increasingly frustrated during my writing sessions and now I could just stop. No more writing.

A short time later, I decided that I would share with Lisa the fruits of my secret, double life as an author. I printed the manuscript off in its entirety and gave it to her to read. I had dreamed of presenting her with a paperback book with a picture of her son on it, but this would have to do.

Fast forward to today. The original intent of the book has not changed. I want people to see Jesus when they see our family. I want people to know there is hope. I want people to understand that God is bigger than our circumstances and brings us through them for a reason.

With that in mind, I decided that Nicholas’ blogsite is a great way to still get my “journal” out there, into the hands of people who may be touched by our story. Each week I will add a new chapter.

To read The Broken Gift, click on the chapters below.

Chapter 1 Code Blue
Chapter 2 Back to the Beginning
Chapter 3 New Relationships
Chapter 4 The Arrival
Chapter 5 Life Goes On
Chapter 6 Surgery