Thursday, March 30, 2006


My Delight



A very wise blogging friend recently posted a comment that has spurred this post. March St. Ives at Queen of Hearts (http://tea-tyme.blogspot.com/).

"Then I'd look at innocent old childhood photos of him and realize that it actually was. Somewhere inside of your child is that same smily-faced, innocent baby you reared and loved."


This is the photo that causes my mother's heart to melt with absolute love. This is the little boy that I am fighting so hard for. Although he stands 6'4" today, when he smiles I still feel the joy that this picture reflects. When he was 3, every time he walked, no, he never walked--he ran into a room--the entire room would light up. His three old giggle, sounding much like Cookie Monster, was simply contagious. His never-ending enthusiasm for life did not exhaust me, rather, it enhanced my own energy. He's always been a trooper; life has never been easy for this little boy. Born prematurely, surgery for pyloric stenosis, speech difficulties, Tourette's Syndrome, A.D.D.; nothing could hold him back. He learned early how to handle the disappointments of life. Sadly, he also learned to expect them. This may be at the core of his rebellion.

Always a good little boy, this happy-go-lucky child was a delight to all who knew him. He loved his big sister, "Ki-Ki," went nowhere without his puppy, "Cooler," and felt like such a big boy when he arm wrestled with his "Daddy" (his Daddy always let him win!). Trucks, scooters, and anything sports; he could entertain for hours; the adventures were endless. This is the little boy that I am fighting so hard for.

This is a picture of the little boy who, when he entered the kitchen and found me doing the dishes, threw his arms around my legs...and gave me a sqeeze hug that I'll always remember. As he growled, "I wuv you mommy," finding it hard to contain his three year old self, he bit my butt! This is the little boy that I am fighting so hard for. He is my delight.

So, thank you March St. Ives for your timely reminder. I must simply look for my delight...in my son today....he is there, hidden under the pains of the disappointments of his life. This delight will not only strengthen my fight, it will fortify my faith. After all, my delight is not only in my son, it is as the Psalmist proclaims--in our LORD:

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness; delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. " Psalm 37: 3-4

Does that speak to your heart as it does mine? I think I will rephrase my commitment; this is not a fight...it is an adventure of delight!

20 comments:

someone else said...

Your postings regarding your son have deeply touched my heart. We are on the up-side of a crisis that could have destroyed all of my family. It certainly redefined normal in my life. God was there and still is. Bless you!

kpjara said...

What a wonderful way to look at life as an adventure of delight!

Thank you for sharing this...

Anonymous said...

That is a simply beautiful post and a good way of remembering who you are fighting for!

Mom101 said...

Thanks for the nice comment at my blog. Glad to make you laugh - seems like you've got some tough stuff to deal with. Keep on keepin' on.

Jacinda said...

I don't know what all you are dealing with concerning your son, but I will keep you in my prayers. Thanks for commenting on my blog!

Anonymous said...

Bravo for you...today you have eyes to see your son just as Jesus sees him...

... fighting with you through prayer
today...

Randi said...

That is a smile worthing fighting for! Always remember that God cares about him even more than you do and He will do all He can to bring your boy back to Himself! Our God is a God of restoration!

Cherrypie said...

Thanks for giving me a wave and not just driving straight on past. I like your attitude and will definitely be popping back again soon xx

Cherrypie said...

Thanks for giving me a wave and not just driving straight on past. I like your attitude and will definitely be popping back again soon xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Diane,
Just a quick return visit to say thanks for your comment and I will certainly come back for more reading when I have a little more time - it is feeding time at the zoo here - actually tea time.....

Thanks again

Barbara

Diane Viere said...

Thanks Barbara--I'll be waiting! :)
Diane

Sonya said...

Diane,

I have a friend whose daughter was an addict. Her daughter hit rock bottom and ended up in prison for a while. But, while in prison, she was able to get into a program that helped deal with the addiction.

She's been clean for years now and God has done a tremendous work in her life.

Her mother never gave up on her. And it was difficult for the family because they weren't dealing with the person but rather with the addiction. Addiction changes their entire personality. Anger, words of hatred etc. aren't coming from them, but rather from the addiction. (Don't know if you've dealt with that, but wanted to mention it).

There's still no addiction in this world greater than God's power.

Praying for your son and your family,
Magnolia

Rebecca said...

It's amazing to see someone delighting herself in God, in the middle of such a painful season. That honors Him so greatly. I never noticed that part of the verse before-- "...feed on His faithfulness." He is so faithful, and that is so sustaining. Thanks so much for sharing so openly. We'll be praying with you.

Kristen said...

I look at my beautiful, innocent children and the way they are now and wish I could just bottle it up and keep them that way. Of course they will grow older and there will be difficult times I am sure. But this is a great way to look at it...an adventure of delight. Thanks for this today~ :-)

GiBee said...

Oh, he's so beautiful!

Mise en Place said...

What a beautiful post and an amazing testament of your faith.

How wise of you to recall that verse and apply it to your life. Something I have GOT to remember to do.

What better place to delight ourselves.....

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and your kind words.

Anonymous said...

Moms:
Have hope and know that prayers do matter, God does listen, and God will work miracles. My mom, sister, dad, uncles, nephew, and all other relatives never gave up praying for me and God answered them. Thank God they kept praying, not looking at me, but at Christ. God did not stop there, He kept blessing and blessing and blessing.
Sincerely.
Jack

Susan Rix said...

Thanks for sharing this with us. I will remember you in my prayers.
Thanks also for your comments on my blog (I will add a link to yours too):-).
I stop by often, however my intermittent connection doesn't always allow success when I post comments.
See you again soon.:-)

Mary said...

Thank you for sharing. I'm praying that the Lord will send just the right people to your son to keep him "on track" and making good decisions. In all the moves that I have made in my life, the Lord has always put into place people who bless me in a special way. I'm praying that your son will have the same experience.

Mary said...

Oh, and I've had a toddler bite me on the butt before, but it was because I put him in time out. Not exactly the same thing. =0)