New Year, New Life, New Beginnings

Dear Friends,

Our year got off to a resounding start! As some of you know, our new grandbaby, Shaun, decided to come two weeks early on December 29th. Kathryn and I were out shopping that day gathering up the last few things we needed for her to give birth at home. She was also taking her tree and decorations down to make room for all the extra people and family helpers who would be in her home. She wanted her house ready, but it was not to be… After a few hours of what she thought were more serious contractions, I took her home and went home myself since her contractions seemed to stop for awhile, but only to get called back. Little Shaun was indeed eager to be born right then! The rest was quite a blur of urgent activity. Aaron and I rushed to get the bed ready, barely had Kathryn in it when her water broke, and I hurriedly undressed her while the midwife rushed in the door, tossing her gear on the floor just in time to see the baby’s head had crowned and he shot out with a single contraction! Kathryn remarked that he was like a little cannonball shooting out into the world.

From water breaking to birth was only 3 minutes! I really thought I was going to deliver my grandchild myself! I prayed urgently, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help us, keep baby and Kathryn safe…We are so grateful to the Lord for breathing life into our little one who had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck six times and had also tied a knot in it! His gray color turned red quickly as he gave his first cry of life, but he was weak and had to be fed with a syringe. Serious complications didn’t show up until about 16 hours later the next day. Our precious little one, weighing only 6lbs 1oz, stopped breathing and was taken to University Hospital in Seattle where he lived the first week of his life in the infant ICU.

Our kids, John and Eireen, living conveniently across the street from Kathryn and Aaron, were there every day to keep the house running and hot food going in the crockpot that dear friends brought for us, and they got all the laundry caught up, the house cleaning all done that Kathryn had been in the middle of, and they continued to prepare meals for when Kathryn and Aaron had a chance to come home to eat and sleep a few hours before heading back to the hospital. Two-year-old Jesse had his first overnighters at Gamma and Gampa’s, and it all went well the first couple of days, until he really started to miss his Mommy and Daddy.

We decided it was best for Jesse to be in his own home so he could see his parents in the mornings and evenings so on the fourth day we took him home along with Auntie Jen Jen who stayed there for a week to care for him.

Our kids did everything to make a difficult time as easy as possible on Kathryn and Aaron, while Jim and I made trips to the hospital bringing supplies to Kathryn who needed to stay there for long hours due to the feeding demands. The staff was so good to only feed the baby Kathryn’s milk, which she pumped and stored there. The baby’s feedings had to be monitored due to crashingly low blood sugar…This story has so many twists and turns in it and is truly a miraculous story to say the least. While baby Shaun nearly died, having stopped breathing four times, God kept our little one’s life in His care! He is now normal and gaining weight, going from premie size to newborn in one week, and we’re so grateful all is well. Our kids are acutely aware of how blessed they are to have their loving family nearby willing to lay down their lives and go the distance with whatever is needed.

Oddly our family finds us in the middle of January, wondering what happened. The Christmas decorations are only now coming down and yet to be packed away, the New Year never happened for our family who missed the formal New Year’s Ball our community put on, and the transition we usually enjoy between one occasion to another was swallowed up, first in a real life and death situation, and next in the tyranny of the urgent.

If that wasn’t enough, during that time we had found a new building to lease to grow our local ministry activities that would also provide private office space for me so getting that outfitted and ready to move into increased the sense of urgency we were experiencing. We’ve been three weeks in this urgent mode wishing life could stand still for a bit. I’ve only just now found time to reflect and realize that this is truly a new year, a dear new life has joined our family, and we’ve been blessed with brand new beginnings for our ministry! If the start of this new year is any indication of what 2012 is going to be like, I’d like to share with you how I’ve decided to look at it.

Baby Shaun’s name means, “God’s Gracious Gift”, and the Good Lord decided to deliver His gift early to us. With the launch of our new website ministry last month, Lifestyle of Learning™ Association of Christian Home Educators (LOLACHE), we trust that God will continue to shower us with His gifts of health and success, and that His blessings will overtake us, in a hurry to get to us, just as precious little Shaun suddenly overtook our lives in a hurry to come be a part of our family. We’re all so grateful for the Lord’s hand in our lives, and eager to get to know our precious new little one.

 

“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.” ~ Deuteronomy 28:2

May you be blessed with new life and new beginnings in this new year of 2012, and may the Good Lord bless and keep your family in good health and hold you close to Him.

So grateful in the Lord’s service!
Marilyn Howshall for Lifestyle of Learning™ Ministries

 

[Lifestyle of Learning™/LOLACHE eNewsletter ~ Jan 18th, 2012, Issue 7]