Sunday, May 24, 2009

Humbled

I was introduced to the NieNie blog by my best friend and have been devouring it's content the past two nights (click button on my sidebar for more). This amazing woman has been to hell and back and is continuing to inspire people all over the world with her testimony of faith and motherhood. She is someone who I wish I knew in person but I am just grateful that I was able to read of her journey and that it reminded me that I can get through what I am going through if I stick close to my Heavenly Father. For more on that click here
NieNie is the kind of mother I would like to be but am not. I want to be more connected to my children and have FUN with them. Just enjoy them while I can and while they want to be around me. Thank goodness for wake up calls.

My beautiful son Joshua Graham is 5 years old today. This picture was taken when he was 3 months old and you can see he already had that twinkle in his eye. He was 7 weeks premature and we joke that he couldn't wait to come to earth any longer. He has an enthusiasm for life matched by few and has never been the type of kid to fall asleep in the middle of anything. To sleep he must be PUT to bed (and then KEPT there)! He is amazingly empathetic, a quality I hope he keeps throughout his life. He is quick to give hugs and quick to forgive faults. He loves to meet new people and especially loves his best friend Isabella. He continues to love all things Halloween-witches, pumpkins, skeletons, etc and will sign his name JOSHW for Joshua "witch".

His preschool teacher asked me the other day which church we went to and I told her we attended the Mormon church. She told me the reason she was asking was because one day she was writing down things that made each child special and she asked Joshua what made him special. He told her " I am a Child of God". It brought tears to my eyes that he already has that testimony in his heart. I have loved watching him grow and develop and can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring. I love you son.






7 comments:

Stephanie said...

She really is inspiring.. Jana is now addicted too!
Thankfully we can learn from others experiences, whether tragic or fabulous and take the pieces that we need and add them to our own lives!

Lynn said...

NieNie truly is inspiring! I had read her blog before her plane crash and I wondered if she would still be the person she was after the devastating effects. She is and was.....what an amazing woman! I love that she shares her really hard days with us, she shows us how we can get through our "hard days" too. My days never seem so hard after reading hers.

Great post on your son! Just love it!

Alison said...

Aw! I LOVE that little guy! He is a really special boy and I honestly feel lucky to know him. Happy Birthday to my friend JoshW ;D

Itworksforbobbi said...

You are certainly doing something right as a mom when your son can state with conviction in a non-church setting that he is a child of God. How awesome! Don't sell yourself short - you ARE an inspirational mother!

Erin said...

Happy birthday to Josh! He really does have that twinkle from a young age:) Great post, Erica.

Julie said...

happy birthday Josh! Sorry we had to leave so quickly! But we're so glad that we were able to come and see you on your special day!

So fun to see these pictures, brief glimpses into Josh's life growing up - I haven't looked at his baby pictures in ages, but you're right, he's ALWAYS had that twinkle in his eye!

adrienne said...

It's funny when I read your blog, it sounds like often, we are in the same place. I meant to comment on your last post, but I didn't know what to say because I was feeling the same way! Anyways, I'm glad you have some perspective! You must be making a huge difference for Josh to know with such surety that he is a child of God. Keep up the good work! I think you're great.