Let me tell you about...my son Halton

     One of my goals for this writing adventure of mine was to spotlight my different children from time to time, so... today I thought I'd let you know a little about my son, Halton. For those of you who know me personally, you probably already know about the road that he has traveled to become the person he is today, but maybe you wouldn't mind reading this recap of the beginning of his life.

While I was pregnant with Halton, John went on his first of many youth mission trips. I went to my parents home in Amarillo with Emily and Loressa while he was gone and during that time I received a phone call that began the marathon that we have been running ever since. You see, that phone call said that they suspected something was wrong with Halton and that they thought it was Down's Syndrome. They told us to come in immediately for further tests. Of course, "Immediately" was impossible because we were out of town and, since I knew that we would keep and love Halton no matter what, it didn't really make a difference how long it took to get more tests done. When we finally made it back to take the other tests, I was well on my way to the acceptance and understanding that God was taking care of my family and so I had nothing to fear. After they had done some more extensive testing, the doctors decided that the earlier tests were wrong and that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him, but I think John and I both spent the rest of the pregnancy with the feeling that we had been given that wrong information in order to prepare us for something. That "something" was Spina Bifida.

     Because of being born with Spina Bifida, Halton has spent the last 19 years of his life in and out of hospitals having 19 different surgeries. He's had surgeries for big things and small things, from straightening his little toe, to bladder augmentation, to being in a body cast after a surgery to try to straighten out his pelvis, to staff infections, to wearing the Ilizarov in order to lengthen his shorter leg and, to his most recent, jaw surgery. Life in our family was often centered around his stays at the hospital and all of his doctor's appointments.  When he was just a little boy, we went to a wonderful church called First Baptist Church of Old Ocean where some sweet men helped us to get Halton into the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Because of Scottish Rite, Halton always got the best care possible. In order to help us with our many trips to Dallas to go to the hospital, the church started the "Halton Fund." I think that our lives would have looked a lot different if those sweet people from Old Ocean hadn't taken such good care of us and I will always be very appreciative. Looking back, those hospital and doctor visits marked our lives in a very positive way. We grew closer as a family because of those trips  and that has shaped our family immensely. What could have been looked at as a burden ended up being a beautiful blessing to our family.

     A lot of people already know that Halton's favorite super hero has always been Superman and when he was little he wore a blanket around his neck as a cape for several years. Yesterday, as Halton began his first day at work, some little girls told him that "Superman" wasn't real. In his attempt to convince them, he finally let it slip that he was indeed "Superman" and yet, they still didn't believe him, so he playfully argued with them. Finally, he said, "Go ahead, kick me, I'm invincible, I won't feel a thing." So he stuck out his leg (the one with the brace that is paralyzed below the knee) and let them kick him....That's my "Superman." When he told me the story, I thought... only you, Halton, could take what some would call a disability and make it into a super power.

      Halton has always been a joy to be around. He has never complained and just accepts all that he has been through as a part of the life God wanted him to have.I hate my kids growing up, but one thing is for sure, I love what God has done and is doing with Halton . He's going to make a wonderful husband and father someday, although I'm not sure if there will ever be a girl good enough for him in my eyes. (It's hard to imagine who could fill the position of Lois Lane to his Superman.)

     Halton is a gifted worship leader and songwriter. He and Loressa lead worship with our youth with their band, "More than a Memory" and they have begun to play at D-NOW's and retreats. If any of you have any need for a great worship band or know someone who does, please keep them in mind. Halton also writes songs filled with romance and has recorded his first CD and hopes to have it all finished really soon. You can look up Halton's music under Halton Peck on youtube or by looking up Treehouse Lane (Halton's band name) and you can find a little bit of MTAM's music on my youtube page (pampeck9) as well.  I'm going to try to post a video of one of his songs on here so you can get just a taste of it, but you know me...You might be better off just looking it up on youtube or on my Facebook page.

     I hope you have enjoyed this little excerpt about Halton's life. I know I enjoyed traveling down memory lane in order to write it:)  I pray God's blessings to you  and your families.

It's not about me...It's not about you, either!

Every Sunday night we have an event at our church for the youth called Pier 7. The youth room is called "The Harbor," so these small groups are accountability groups where we "dock" every week and keep up with each other and study together. My group is small-just me and three high school girls. This semester we have been studying the book by Max Lucado called "It's Not About Me."  I've really gotten a lot out of the book myself and I hope my small group has. I noticed almost immediately that when people heard the title of the book, they thought we were doing a study on getting the students to take their eyes off of themselves and to put them on others, so that they would notice other people's needs and not be self centered. As I heard these comments from people, (mostly parents), I remember thinking that I wished all the parents would read the book, too. I get a little defensive when people act like teenagers are selfish all of the time because, in my eyes, most of the teenagers that I'm around are seldom selfish. They are, for the most part, looking outside of themselves more often than those of older generations....but, I digress. The book is not about thinking of others as more important, it's about the fact that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is about Him. Once we get that worked out in our hearts and minds, it's easier to see the needs of others and act on what God is telling us to do about those needs. It's easier to live a Godly life, not in order to find favor with God, but because a Godly life comes when our eyes are constantly on Him. I love that if I can take my eyes off of me and my own little world and set my eyes on God, I end up with a better perspective on my own life. If I'm the center, the world is small indeed. If He is the center, the world is....well, you get the picture. Like I said, I've been learning a lot:)

Being intimidated by the word "Blog"

Hi everybody, I have to tell you that it makes me so happy that a few people have been reading my blog. I do wish it wasn't called a blog, though. For some reason, I'm uncomfortable saying the word.  I think it just sounds funny coming out of my mouth. Like when I tell the kids, " I wrote a new blog today!" or "I wrote about you in my blog." The word "blog" is just weird. I think that maybe I don't like the word because I'm over 50 and it just seems like something that a younger person should be saying....I know, I know, saying the word "blog" should not be difficult or uncomfortable for someone who has birthed 7 children, but yet, we are talking about me-the one who second guesses just about everything she says and replays conversations over and over again in her mind to figure out if she said something wrong. Yeah, that's me- the woman who wrote a blog about how uncomfortable she is saying the word "blog." Maybe I could think of something else to call it - like a code word for "blog." Let me know if you have any bright ideas:)

Well, I've been a grandma since Wednesday and I love it! The only hard part is that I can't be around Violet Rose 24/7. Her parents have this silly idea that they are supposed to be with her more than she is supposed to be with me. I guess they are right, but, oh, how I wish I could hold her constantly. She is so beautiful and I look forward to the future that she has. Speaking of the future,... I think it's really unbelievable that time goes by so fast. Emily was that tiny baby in my arms 23 years ago and it seems like yesterday. I'm scared that if I blink I'm going to miss part of Violet's childhood......I know, I'm a little obsessive, aren't I, but that's still how I feel about all of my own kids, too. I don't want to miss a single thing. I video things that are probably unnecessary and I take extra pictures of just about everything.  I've spent most of my days as a parent in a quest to make memories and to make sure that I will remember and celebrate special moments, but I still can't stand time passing by. I know I should be used to it by now. Three of my children are pretty much grown and the other four will be catching up to them before I know it, but I will never get used to time marching on....See why I need to hold Violet, I need a distraction from over-thinking growing up. I just need Violet in my arms because when she is in my arms all I can think about is her:)

About Life4Him-skits, scripts and stories: Let me tell you about...the birth of parenthood

About Life4Him-skits, scripts and stories: Let me tell you about...the birth of parenthood: "Oh, my goodness, I couldn't wait to get on here and write about the wonderful events of the last 24 hours. Yesterday at this time, I was jus..."

Let me tell you about...the birth of parenthood

Oh, my goodness, I couldn't wait to get on here and write about the wonderful events of the last 24 hours. Yesterday at this time, I was just a mom....Today, I'm a grandma. My first baby, Emily, has just given birth to her first baby, Violet Rose Fulks!!! I'm so proud of Emily and Sam. They are already wonderful parents. It is so amazing to watch the transformation into parenthood. God is so wonderful in the way that He made the woman to carry the child inside of her for 9 months. The couple has that time to get used to the fact that they are going to be a mom and a dad.  Then comes the anticipated moment when they realize the baby really is coming. There is excitement and maybe even a little confusion over what is going on and then, in the wee hours of the morning, the miraculous moment when she arrives. All that they have talked about and imagined for 9 months is reality and they, in that moment, change into a mommy and a daddy. They have just met, in person, the child they have been waiting for. Emily is radiantly beautiful, as always, and Sam is just as handsome as before, but I can see an immediate difference in their countenance. They have stepped across the threshold into parenthood and they will never be the same...They know they have been part of a miracle...