Thoughts on Prayers

My earliest memories are my mom praying with me each night before bed.  And then I remember when I was 5 we added and “Please help grandma not to be lonely.”  Every night I remember praying that Grandma wouldn’t be lonely. You see Memorial Day 1984 my grandpa died of  Colin Cancer. I remember my dad leaving to go to the funeral and so badly wanting to go with him. I was small but have fond memories of my grandpa the few times I saw him. He read books to my sister and me. And I’ve heard stories of him rising over night (he was a traveling sales man) to come see me after i was born. Family was alway important to him. And I was later told he secretly baptized me in the bathroom because he was episcopal (grandma was too) and he was a convert and it was very important to him that I was raise a Christian.

I remember praying for the missionaries all over the world. Nightly and the map that hung on the wall. Intercession for others was daily in my house growing up. And something I need to teach better to my own children.

My grandma was very special to me. She died when i was about 19. I remember the funeral the friends hat would come tell each family member how she was special to them too.  My dad’s voice cracking as he missed his mom so much. My aunts white dress, and her beautiful voice as she sung amazing grace at the grave side. The car trip to Savannah with cousin Beth.  The wrong turn that gave grandma who loved to travel one last trip from Atlanta to Alabama on the way to Savannah. And I missed her after she died very much. It was close to that time that I entered the Catholic Church. I would go visit cemeteries anywhere to talk to her pray for her because I couldn’t make it to Savannah. The trip to Galveston where I would wander the old grave yard with tears steaming down my face on Holy Saturday just before Easter Sunday and tell her I missed her and pray for her soul and my grandpas.

I remember the stops to the tabernacle, I would make in the middle of the night after a NICU visit after William was born. And I would beg for my baby to be ok again.

Then one year about 4 or 5 years ago for lent. I took up praying for the dead for lent. I made a list. Guess it’s kinda always been right there. I have taught my kids that when we pass a grave yard we pray for the holy souls there in that grave yard and for all those with no one praying for them. When an ambulance passes we say a prayer for them. Bad accidents on the highway I will pray for those involved for the whole length of the backup sometimes it’s been miles. My side was moving. But the other side was stopped.

I added names where ever I happened on them. Friends posting prayers bulletin at church. Friends in the throws of grief not knowing how to keep on. I’m going to post the list I started before. And going to keep adding to it.

James Nors

Joe Shafer

Amanda felinko my own cousin

Andrew felinko her husband

Samantha Matthews baby daughter of Casey Matthews

Trey Wooten 4 year old son died in house fire

Stephen Eastridge son Adley Eastridge

Whitney Watson's dad Dwayne Mounce 

Michael Cassimatis 

Robert Henry Carson 

Beckham 

John Haggard. 

Hickman baby

Zimmerman baby

Baby Ferris O'Brien

Mike rogan father of 8 hit a deer

Carolyn Calderwood Daigle Graham (Jen Cathcart grandma)

Dr. Grady Harold O’Neal relative or father of Kim Watkins

Bill Grubbs FIL of Shannon Grubbs 

Jacob bendard 

Evelyn Erichsen 

Will Ganz dad

Daniel Crabtree. 19 year old son of Ms Crabtree

Kathleen Smith 

Uncle Vernon smith 

Uncle Allen smith 

Paxton wages 4 yr old

12/21/15 RIP Defenders:🇺🇸

SA Adrianna Vorderbruggen

SA Michael Cinco

SA Peter Taub

SA Chester McBride

SSgt Louis Bonacasa

TSgt Joseph Lemm

OSI/SFS 21Dec2015

Jordan cook St Anthony grp

2016

Arron sleeper 19yr old

Perpetua Celestine Felicity Maria Hughes 

Gracelynn 6mo old of Hannah Jennifer over streets niece. 

2018

Magdalene Therese Ramirez 10 year old daughter of Jeni Ramirez 

Grandparents Day Pictures part 2

 

Power Chair, LOOK OUT WORLD!

Will post a picture(S) soon, but this update was needed, before the pictures, and my trigger finger his been a little busy operating a remote stop button to get a picture.

Yesterday we picked up William's power chair. The first time we put him in it he did so awesome mama was near tears. We had to do some minor adjusting and positioning, and he was so patient with us. Then it was time to turn it on! He immediately drove straight forward, and turned to go out the door (except we weren't going out the door, it's TEXAS so we had to stay inside), then we headed to drive around a path on the outside of a large room, the room was roughtly square, had 3 offices on the far side away from the wall of windows. In the center of the room was several wheelchairs waiting delivery, or trial. Around the room was a path about large enough for the power chair and one person along side. The power chair is a silvery blue with red race car embroidered on the seat. The chair had head controls he pushes back with his head to go forward, turns his head to the left or right to navigate in those directions. Later we will add a toggle where he can power tilt the chair, or switch to reverse, or increase his speed. Also, there's an attendant control that can move him in other directions by the person walking behind him. It cruises along at a nice slow crawl while inside, and can go faster for outside. We have a remote stop button which is for use to prevent broken windows or falling off curbs while learning to drive. William navigate past the windows, and to the first corner with ease, straight shot, then surprising to everybody navigated the first turn on his own to the left side (right is the easiest side for him to turn, but he showed no problems with left on the corner, then drove perfectly straight again to the other side where the offices were. There were 3 offices each with a door and window. The first door was to the right of the path we're following with the window for the same first office just to the left of the path. At the offices he crashed into the window (stopped by remote stop), Besides who bothered to tell this 3 year old you can't just walk/drive thru windows. So then we repositioned him and started him again. He drove straight and into the first door of the next office and up to her table, and waved hi to the person in that office. Then we backed out him out of the office and sent him on his way again. Again he tried to drive into the 2nd office window, We corrected his path again, and he drove straight into the next office and waved hi to the two people in that office. Next, we pulled him back and sent him on his way again, next he stopped at the window and waved to the people in that 3rd office thru the window, at that point we stopped and put him in his walker so we could make the final adjustments on the walker before taking it home. I was told over and over that he did better than most kids do on the first time BY FAR. And our therapist we showed today at home said he did better than lots of kids do after over a month.

I was so near tears that my baby could finally go, where he wanted that people can actually see he's trying to say HI because "HE" is the one DRIVING. HE HAD the intent, it wasn't just me saying, OH he's waving, when I saw it and no one else did, EVERYONE else could see He is DRIVING...HE CAN TELL WHERE he wants to go!!!

LOOK OUT World HERE WILLIAM COMES!

PPS I just have to say thank you to all the therapist that made this possible that believed in us when others didn't, and THANK YOU to Heather Pinkerton with United Seating formerly Rehab Specialties for suggesting we finally get him in one, and MAKING it happen, when I've wanted to for 18 months now or more. Thanks specifically to Bernadine, A'Donna, Yiesha, Lydia (another therapist (PT) who wanted to put us in one months ago), And many others! Thank you also to Family members who have offered up countless prayers for our dear William. Can't forget to Thank TEXAS MEDICAID, and UNITED HEALTH CARE for making it possible to 100% fund this vehicle which costs more than all 4 of our vehicles PUT TOGETHER!

Next: My hunt next is to get him a communication system where he can TELL us what he wants even if he can't TALK, that will be his voice and encourage him to talk.

Power chair trial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPD_x_dBfBk

Sydney Ann

IMG_0459vintagewm, originally uploaded by conradzone.

Little baby sister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubIpwqOhpYc