And the Lord remembered her

  Remember the story about Hannah and her desire for a son?  It has taken on a new meaning to me in recent years as the parent of a special needs child.  Our middle son, Sam, will be starting "normal" preschool on Thursday.  He has mild cerebral palsy that has affected mainly his gait and right side strength.  He can walk independently (if you don't count the numerous falls he takes) and uses a walker for longer distances.  His speech is also mildly affected.  So you can understand my anxiety as he goes off into the world of "normal" walking children.  It is hard for me to give up control of his enviornment and send him off into the big unknown.  How will he be treated?  Will the other kids make fun of him?  Will  he be accepted?  What if the teacher can't understand him?  And so on...can you tell I am nervous about this whole thing?  He's only 3 and it's only preschool!!

Then I remember that he is not mine but God's child whom He has entrusted to us here on earth.  He blessed us with Sam when we were not supposed to be able to have any biological children (like Hannah).  He gave us this precious life and all that goes along with it....struggles and victories alike.  Our purpose as Sam's parents is to love him with the love of Jesus and teach him about Christ and the Word of God so that he becomes the man of God that he is intended to be.

When I found out I was pregnant with Sam, I almost immediately decided on the name Samuel because of its meaning. 
1 Samuel 1:20 says, "She named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I asked the Lord for him.' "
I, like Hannah, had asked the Lord to bless us with a biological child.  Did I want him to be "normal"?  Sure I did.  Is he?  Absolutely...in God's eyes and ours.  He may have some limitations and differences, but he is just the way God meant for him to be.
"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."  1 Samuel 1:27-28
This is what I must do with our Sam.  I will give him to the Lord daily to be the blessing to us and others that God means for him to be.  It will be hard as my mother's instinct is to protect him from this world.  But God has a purpose for him and his cerebral palsy is part of the plan of his life.  I need to get out of the way and let God do His job.  He surely doesn't need my help just my obedience.
So when Thursday rolls around I will send my precious gift from God out the door with pride.  He is my blessing that I have given back to the Lord to use as He will.  I may have to remind myself of this every time he goes out the door and into the "normal" world, but I will honor God with my son.
"After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."  1 Samuel 1:22

The promise of a full quiver

So as promised I thought I'd share a little about what happened with the birth of our third son, Charlie, a few weeks ago.  He is already proving his Morrison stubborness by showing up six weeks early!
I was at work having a normal day which by this time consisted of sitting on a stool in the procedure room with this crampy feeling in my upper abdomen (I am an endoscopy nurse).  After a case, I felt something like a litle bit of...well you know after you've had children when you sneeze or laugh too hard you lose a little something...anyway, I couldn't stop it from coming.  To make a long story short, I went to Anmed and after much ado it was determined that my water had indeed broken.  I was admitted and the plan was to hold out until Thursday (this was Monday) and deliever Charlie by the planned C-section.
I have to say that my first instinct was absolute panic...I wasn't ready, he was too small, what if God chose to take him home to heaven, why me?  But in the stillness of the exam room I prayed that His will be done and that He'd give me comfort and strength to pass through whatever was coming my way.  It had come through His hands after all.  After that moment I was completely calm.  This is not at all my nature so I know beyond a doubt that it was God and only Him that was keeping me sane.
I was put on bedrest as I waited for the day and needless to say I was going crazy.  I had cooked and built and traveled as much as I could stand with the TV.  Jon had brought my bible and I must confess I hadn't picked it up yet...I think I was in the place that all I could do was pray for strength and peace.  When I did finally pick it up I prayed for God to give me a word that everything was indeed going to be OK.
In His grace, He gave me Psalm 127:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.   Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.  They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."
I knew when I read these words that the blessing of Charlie would be a reality.  I didn't know if he'd be healthy or what, but I knew that God would grant us with the blessing of his life.  All of our days are numbered before there is one of them and God was in control.  I knew that no matter what we had done or hadn't done for Christ that we love Him above all else and were trusting Him for the outcome of our situation.  He had indeed granted us sleep (or rest) in Him.
Charlie Lee Morrison was born on August 5 at 5lb. 12 ounces and was considered as healthy as a 37 weeker.  God has blessed us beyond anything we deserve and we give Him all the praise and glory!

Summer came...and went

Wow! I can't believe it's been over 2 months since I've been on here. Let's just say I've been BUSY!
Little Charlie Lee Morrison decided it was time to make his appearance...SIX weeks early! I'm blessed to say he was big enough at 5lb. 12oz. and his lungs were healthy so he was able to be treated as a "regular" newborn. More to come on this event soon!
Also, Dad has been diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma Stage 3 and has underwent major surgery as well as a few setbacks! More on God's blessings and providence during this time later too!
Needless to say our easy living summer kicked up a notch and now it is over...oh well! Time passes and seasons change...I'm ready for fall!
I am thankful that God has been faithful to us this summer season and all the things that have happened during this season did not catch Him by surprise. He is just confirming the fact that we are to look to Him as our source for everything! He is our all in all, my everything, the song that I sing, and I will praise Him all my days.