Friday, June 3, 2011

Sheltering Families with Special Needs


This post is written by my niece and namesake, Pamela Jo.  She's the most amazing momma to Carli, Olivia Grace and Madeline.  Pam homeschools, keeps up with all of Madeline's therapies, and has a medical vocabulary that amazes even the doctors.  Add to that singing in the choir, entertaining friends and finishing her accounting degree with honors.  






Children remind us to treasure the smallest of gifts, even in the most difficult times. ~ Allen Klein



John 1:16 tells us, "From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (ESV)." Another translation reads, "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another (NIV)." 

There are a handful of moments in one's life that forever change the way you see other people. I now know that I was guilty of taking people for granted until one life-altering day in March of 2008, the day we found out that our third baby would be born with serious disabilities. In those first shell-shocked hours, when we didn't even know if she would live, we found ourselves comforted under the sheltering tree of the family of God…indeed overwhelmed by "grace upon grace."

Lisa wrapped her arms around me and prayed right in the parking lot. Vicky added our kids to hers for a couple hours while we saw our doctor for more information and worked through calling our families. Dr. Tuchscherer sheltered us with encouragement ("If any of my patients can do this, you are the ones who can.") and hugs. 

Jed was carrying mail over by the church and stopped by the church office; with tears running down his cheeks, he passed along the news to our pastors and staff. They held hands and prayed immediately, and when we showed up a little later, Pastor Leeder prayed with us. Pastor Stan listened for a long time, and his wife (our Sunday School teacher) came from wedding shopping with her bride-to-be daughter to pray and listen. 

That afternoon, Jed and Alyssa walked in our door with bags of groceries and Jed worked on dishes while Alyssa put together manicotti, all the while listening and crying and laughing with us.

My parents drove through the night to be with the girls while we went for a more in-depth ultrasound at a specialist in Indianapolis. Daddy's hug when he walked in that door was one I'll never forget.

And it hasn't ended. Here are just a few of the ways we've been sheltered since then:

Church families babysitting while we were with Madeline in the NICU and other hospital stays along the way; Auntie and Pastor Kraig and Marcia sitting with us through surgeries, and Mom taking time off from her job to help with the kids and cook for us. 

A surprise landscaping job with the help of more than 20 people (a great witness to the community, too). "That's the pastor mowing the yard?" Read more here: You're Something Special.

 
Christmas gifts for all the girls, bags of clothes passed on from other little girls, bags of groceries and envelopes of money, and a box of headbands with bows from the great auntie, the host of this blog!

"Bless your baby heart," from Mom and Grandma and sweet notes from uncles and aunts and cousins and my three lovely sisters-in-law, and friends who allow me to be "not okay" for a little bit during a tough day. 

Prayers from people I don't know stopping me in public, and little Mason, a lad from our church, who reminds his parents every night to pray for Madeline during bedtime prayers.

We are overwhelmed to know the love of God and His family. You have sheltered us and have been the hands of Christ to us.

Linked to:
Say Hi Sunday
Spiritual Sundays
Wild Card Weekend
Welcome to the Weekend


27 comments:

Joan Hall said...

This is a beautiful post of how the body of Christ should lift one another up.

Maddy is a precious child - so beautiful.

Thank you Pamela for sharing this post.

Blessings,
Joan

Kristin Aquariann said...

It's wonderful that your family has been sheltered by such amazing souls. *sparkles for Maddy*

Btw, I'm following from the Welcome to the Weekend Hop and hope you'll come join my Spring Blog Hop, too.

Annesphamily said...

This really was uplifting. What a precious child of God! I am warmed by the beauty of children and know the Lord sends
" Madelines" into our lived for His purpose.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful story. Anne

Esther Asbury said...

That's my sweet and adorable niece (Maddy) who always amazes me with how happy, content, and cheerful she is for all the many "handicaps" she faces. Love you PJ and Maddy!

michelle said...

the body of Christ is something, isn't it? thanks for stopping by to encourage me. =) I will say a prayer for Maddie today.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hi Pamela,
What an encouraging and heart felt post! The family of God truly is a gift from above and oftentimes we get through our trials because of His loving us through them. I've been there on the receiving end many times. Thank you for sharing and bless little Maddie! She is a special gift, I know. Thank you for your visit and your prayers. Have a lovely weekend.

Blessings,
Sandi

Kathy said...

Hello Pamela,
What a beautiful post - it is a blessing to have fellow Christians to bless us with love and care and to be there to pray and to help - a little heaven on earth! An added gift from God,
Kathy

Anonymous said...

Pamela,
I am singing that song right now! Thanks for reminding me of it.
What a beautiful testimony of the love of God this post is! Wow. What a blessing. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

This Spiritual Sunday, there are several posts about family. I love it! Thanks for sharing.

Vilisi said...

Hello Pamela. This is a beautiful heart-warming story. Your niece Pamela Jo is full of strength and grace. She makes me think of Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Thanks for your encouraging comments on my post.:)
Blessings,
Vilisi

Anonymous said...

Hi Pamela, Thank you for sharing this warm and heartfelt post reminding that we are all special in God's eyes. My sister had a special needs son and he taught us so much about God's love.
Wishing you a blessed weekend and God bless Maddie.
Mildred Nalley

Cleverly Changing said...

Thanks for the inspiring post. I am visiting from the blog frog. We may not understand the journey, but when we let God lead the way strength and blessings are sure to follow. Blessings to you and your family! CleverlyChanging.com

Katrina said...

It's easy to see how much joy sweet Maddy brings to those around her, especially to her mama:) This is such an inspiring post. Thank you for sharing, and thanks for visiting my blog. I'm already a follower of yours :)

Saleslady371 said...

What a precious little girl and a wonderful family. Their church and family is so special.

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

God bless them and you for sharing. With love Crystal Lindsey

BrendaC said...

What an inspiring story, thanks for sharing,Dropped in to Say Hi, I am your newest GFC follower, hope you will hop over to my blog at kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com when you get a chance. Have a fantastic week.

Breathing In Grace said...

I'm so glad I stopped by so I could read this...it had to be the Holy Spirit leading me here so I wouldn't miss this amazing post! Oh, what a blessing...and I'm a firm believer that God chooses just the right family to love and bring up these precious little ones!!! HOPE you have a blessed SON-day!

~ Mona said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I'm glad you liked my advice and will be making a list of your own.

I'm now your newest follower.

~ Mona : )

Nikki (Sarah) said...

this is such a beautiful post. The kindness of others when we are struggling makes a world of differce. I'm glad you guys belong to a community of such kind people.

Unknown said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog. I'm following you now.

What stands out in this post is that sweet little girls smile in photo after photo.

Bella Vida by Letty
Have a great weekend.

Charlotte said...

What a beautiful tribute to the body of Christ. And what a precious little girl. Thank you for sharing your heart and your experiences.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Tina said...

What a beautiful blog. Very inspirational. Following you back from the weekend blog hop!

Tina @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

Lisa notes... said...

Thank you for sharing this special post about such a special girl. God bless!

no spring chicken said...

So, the beauty of Christ eminates from one more of your family. Your niece is one more shining example of letting your light shine before men. I'm glad that you had her post, I enjoyed hearing the testimony of a hard time and God's abundant blessing. Your great niece is a miracle and a beauty! It's amazing how much influence someone so tiny can have on a body...

Blessings, Debbie

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Maddy is beautiful. Thanks so much for reminding us what a church family is supposed to be like. This post is a wonderful witness. God bless.

Kathy M.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

May God continue to bless you and your family

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

This is beautiful and so is Maddy. God does bless us....