He was born just before Christmas in the mountains of Colorado. He was our delight. We hovered over him. We loved him. Within a month, we found out he needed skull surgery to correct a birth defect, an 8 hour surgery with a pediatric neurologist and a maxo-facial plastic surgeon. We cried. At 2 1/2 months old, he had the surgery and the Lord gave us the grace to have peace through the process.
I slept at the hospital with him for 7 days as the baby Buddha with a gauze turban laid there - swollen head,eyes swollen shut, IV's hooked to his feet. The Lord gave us grace.
He recovered well. We moved back to Oklahoma. He grew and developed. He determined at a young age, even before he could walk, to have life his way. The Lord gave us grace.
His "boy" adventures landed stitches over his eye, a dislocated elbow, and a broken arm at different stages. The emergency room was not foreign territory. The Lord gave us grace.
The Lord spoke to his heart at 8 and he became not only our child but also His child. He sang and acted his way through church plays. He went to camps, ski trips, and carried inner city kids around on his shoulders on a mission trip. The Lord gave him His grace.
School was a struggle many times. He hit turbulence in middle school. He went to a Christian high school and graduated. The Lord gave us grace.
The mountains called him back after high school. He stayed until he was sent back. He left to try living with a friend. He came back. The Lord gave us grace.
Loves came and went. One stayed too long. The love of his life had not materialized. Not yet. He hung out with the singles at church. The love of his life showed up as the friend of one of those singles. They hung out with the group. They spent more time together. One year ago they declared an exclusive relationship. On Labor Day, in front of his parents, sister, grandparents, aunt and uncle, he declared his love for her and asked her for a life long commitment. The Lord gave him grace. She accepted his declaration and made her commitment.
Showers of blessings have come their way. The church family showered them with celebration, encouragement, and love.
Blessings showered down on them from circles of friends and family. The Lord showed His grace through some good friends. Moms, grandmother, sister, aunt and cousin, great aunts gathered to honor them. Great friends shared their home, their food, their time, and their love. The Lord gave His grace-fulness through lives of many.
The wedding is just 12 days away. May the Lord give Zac and Nikki His grace all the days of their lives.
