A few photos from our snowy play… grateful for this time of rest and family.

Fort Worth Child Published in National Magazine
1st Grader Hudson Wilson to appear in Highlights magazine

November 24, 2008 (Columbus, OH) – The December 2008 issue of Highlights for Children has published a drawing titled “The Prince” in its “Your Own Pages” section by 6-year old Hudson Wilson of Fort Worth, a 1st grade student at Tanglewood Elementary. Hudson, the child of Corbin and T.J. Wilson, enjoys baseball, drawing, cooking, art projects, board games, animals, football and reading. He hopes to be an artist and veterinarian when he grows up.

Each year, Highlights readers send the magazine more than thirty-five thousand submissions. The magazine selects work by boys and girls of all ages and from many different places in the world. By showcasing a representative sample of all the work, Highlights hopes to foster children’s creativity.

So next time you’re flipping through Highlights in your physician’s or dentist’s office, be sure to look for our little artist!

**A huge thanks for Aunt Kay for our annual Highlights subscription - and to my blogging friends for letting me indulge in a little parental pride**

I always say being with my brothers is like a holiday, and so this past week was double the fun - a week with my brothers and their families AND celebrating one of my favorite holidays of the year. We’re becoming quite a crowd. In addition to our four kiddos, we’ve got three little cousins and one on the way… Bogan from Tulsa and then Marshall and Ashlyn from Alpharetta, and the newest little one from Georgia due in April.

A few highlights…
- Meeting SWEET Ashlyn for the first time - “baby Ash-a-lyn” as Basden says
- Rock City - it really is amazing! (and the Starbucks across from the entrance doesn’t hurt)
- Crystal’s burgers & onion rings, Corbin’s homemade chex mix, Julie’s breakfast casseroles and baked cinnamon apples, Daboo’s taco bar, cowboy rolls, cream cheese mashed potatoes, and Amy’s AH-mazing home-home-made pumpkin pies (she makes it look so easy…ha!)
- SkipBo - the interaction between Mom and Amy is way more fun than the game itself
- Chris the Barista - nothing beats a yummy latte in a cozy cabin with the rain beating on the roof
- Kung Fu Panda and Daboo’s new popcorn machine
- Essie chasing Marshall around the couch with a pink Barbie hairdryer
- Cappy’s hike with Bogan, Bran, Hud, Basden and Essie - who we found out is not comfortable in two feet of leaves
- Monsters in the dark during the hayride - the kind of monsters who bear gifts of glow-in-the-dark bracelets after attempting to scare the tuna salad out of everyone
- Bogan’s watchful eye and sideways glances… doesn’t miss a thing
- Marshall’s continual grin
- the five pounds Corbin and I BOTH gained…

What a handsome crew!
Chris & Crystal… and baby James due in April
Trey & the women… we’re just missing HIS woman!!
Bogan flanked by Essie & Basden - he politely puts up with Essie’s antics.
Aunt Julie, Ashlyn & Essie
Julie and Luke make everything more fun
Trey and DARLING Marshall
Those big boys are getting bigger all the time

Look who’s responsible for all this!
Thanks, Mom & Dad for the cabin, and to everyone for the memories. Already looking forward to the next time!

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar…
Blessed are those who dwell in your house…
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage…
They go from strength to strength…

Tuesday is a big day. Our good friends here in Fort Worth close on their home Tuesday, with no new house to call home. They are packing their belongings and filling cardboard boxes, all the while not knowing where - in just a few short days - those cardboard boxes will land. Their young children dance around the empty, echo-filled rooms with great expectation, while Mommy and Daddy assure them the Lord has a perfect new home - somewhere - and meanwhile keep an eye out for a ram in the bushes.

Another friend will be moving Tuesday as well. But instead of moving his family and furnishings to a new home, he will hug his wife and children good-bye two days before Thanksgiving and exit his court hearing, handcuffed, to his new home behind bars. Tuesday will simply determine where and for how long. Corbin will be by his side.

Psalm 84 describes the plight of the pilgrim - a soul yearning - even fainting for the courts of the Lord, for the living God. The description of going from strength to strength, having set their hearts on pilgrimage…

This Scripture is not relegated to shepherds in fields before the time of Christ. It speaks of these two families, facing change and uncertainty and trusting God with their very shelter. It speaks, too, of people and families all across our country who cry out to God, this day, November 21, 2008. For those losing homes in foreclosure with the economy… for mothers trading their cozy kitchens and holiday baking for needles and chemo in sterile clinics…for soldiers in dusty tents separated from parents and spouses and children and friends as the holidays approach… it speaks of the brave Pilgrims we celebrate next week, who faced change and uncertainty and fear head on, going from strength to strength.

Father, we do trust you, and we pray for our friends and loved ones in seasons of pilgrimage right now. Blessed is the man who trusts in you, O Lord Almighty.

My take-aways from Kyle’s service:
- The privilege of attending. Of joining a thousand people to honor Kyle and his family. Proximity allowed Corbin and I the gift of participating in this outpouring of love and gratitude for Kyle’s life.
- Kyle’s dazzling smile in every photo - with hair, without hair; with his arm, without his arm; that grin consistently exuding a supernatural joy.

- Hearing Kyle’s two friends, Tommy Saxon and Jeff Turner, speak beautifully and honestly and sincerely about their life-long friend. They offered MANY moments of comic relief relaying stories. Among my favorites were descriptions of the junior high boys hunting, skinning, and frying north Dallas squirrels (or cooking them over a campfire - in a shovel), and Kyle scaling a neighborhood tree with an automatic BB gun to “welcome” younger brother Brad’s friends to their home.
- Kyle worked hard to make others comfortable with his declining health. Keeping things light, spouting classic one-liners and hilarious come-backs, and keeping an eye on the eternal. Before his amputation, Kyle threw a “farewell to arm” party with his friends.
- Sharing the experience with my dear friend and roommate Kristin - an unexpected gift of time together. And watching Nan dart about making things happen. Incidentally, Nan is one of Darla’s best friends, so she and Jeff flew in from San Diego for the weekend, leaving Mike and his brothers in the care of both grandmothers.
- I could write pages about Darla, and I haven’t talked with her in years. Simply from observation - her balance of including others in this journey along with truly protecting her family. Her full-time job of caring for Kyle and making home a sweet place for the four of them. One of the guys related a story about a recent treatment phase, with Kyle exhausted and nodding off as Darla read aloud the side-effects of his drugs. At the top of the list was “inappropriate humor.” His eyes flew opened and he flashed that grin. Now he had an excuse…

The deep and humorous and full atmosphere from Monday’s service can be summed up with the poem Darla had printed on the inside of the program:

On a miserable day during the worst of chemo in 2007, I wrote a spin off of Rudyard Kipling’s “If” for Kyle to cheer him up. He read it and flashed me one of his 1000 watt grins. I hope it makes you smile. - Darla

If… for Kyle

If you can do more with one arm than most can do with two.
If you can smile though the reasons are few.
If you can face suffering with courage and grace,
And not begrudge others who aren’t in your place.
If you can look at the odds and know they’re against you
But fight even harder because “lose” is not in you.
If you can count your blessings in the midst of pain
And refuse to give up, even with little to gain.
If you can trust God when things don’t go your way.
And remember that Heaven is just a breath away.
If you can face a world obsessed with perfection,
And know you are complete, no matter the reflection.
If you know life is short but that it can be wide,
And you grab onto it and make the most of the ride.
If you can look Death in the face and still grin
Then no matter the outcome, I say you win.

I was asking God to bring himself to us. It’s no longer the question, “Can the God of the universe do it?”, it’s “What will He do?” I don’t feel anxious about provisions, I don’t feel like I have to “plan” out our day, I don’t feel like or even want to control what each day holds.

And then, He swam among us. A few days ago there were hundreds (yes hundreds) of leopard sharks that came close to the shore line. Since we spent the last eight months going online to study sea creatures (in preparation for our vacation) we knew leopard sharks were harmless. We took Mike and Luke out, holding them close to our chests and walked waist deep into the water. The water was calm, remarkably almost no waves. And clear, so clear you could see the finest detail of the sharks fins. They swam so close they brushed against our legs. As we stood out there we thanked God for his creation. And if sharks were not enough, giant sea turtles with shells four feet across appeared out of nowhere and slowly swam to the deep. As the sea turtles disturbed the sand, frisbee sized sting rays arose and glided by. It was an orchestra of sea life in perfect harmony for our family to enjoy.

We spent the next few days talking about God’s creation and what a remarkable gift it was that He allowed us to see a picture of His creativity in the wild.

And then yesterday, as Luke would say, “God brought us a whale”. It’s not whale season. We were told they don’t ever come this early and never ever that close. Well, our little family seems to be defying the odds lately. And so, God, once again, brought Himself to us. We looked out our window and there it was. So close you could see the details of the hump and fins as it played in the water. For hours, it stayed in front of our room, going back and forth along the shoreline, never out of sight. Once again, we picked Mike up, gathered the other kids, sat on the sand and marveled at our God. Others were grabbing scuba gear and I, in my excitement, too rushed out in the water to swim with the whale.

He walks among us, with us and He is here orchestrating everything from the fall to the whale.
So many have asked, wanted to give you a couple of ways to keep up with the Lawrence family.

For photos and updates, go here, and to sign up for meals and prayer go to their care calendar. For the calendar, use these codes:
CALENDAR ID: 8051
SECURITY CODE: 3457

- Rhinestone necklaces and high heels and taking a break to teach ballet are critical elements for a family bike ride

- No such thing as enough photos of my girls with Cappy

- Long-lasting friendships really are golden (happy birthday, Paulette!)

- I’m finding contentment in watching Branson (top right-blonde) bloom where he’s planted…

- Hudson is slow and steady and meticulous with just about everything he works at…

- Purdy brightens any room, any situation (we’ve known this for awhile)

- Always expect the unexpected with Uncle Trey’s surprises

- I always, always want to be known as Bill’s daughter and Trey’s little sister (and Corbin’s wife and Hudson’s mom…)

Today (Saturday) is day seven at the hospital in San Diego. Mike is doing well under the circumstances and in good spirits most of the time. He’s out of ICU, and he’s been much more active over the last few days. We met with the doctor yesterday, and they still expect a full recovery, which is absolutely miraculous. The doctor said it very bluntly, “Most kids that have a fall like that are looking at death. He’s very lucky.” We would call “luck” something else, and we are still blown away and grateful to God that our boy is doing so well, even though there is a long road still ahead.

Mike has a serious liver injury that will take some time to heal. His liver is badly lacerated (basically deeply cracked in multiple places), but should not need surgery as long as things continue to move in the right direction over the next few months. The location of the cracks is in a dangerous place (near the biggest vein in the body going to the heart), so the main concerns are reopening the cracks and internal bleeding if Mike were to fall, be bumped, be run into, be hit, kicked, catch a ball wrong, or basically anything that would cause pressure to that organ until it completely heals. It is the internal injury that the doctors are most concerned about and why we will be in CA for a month. Once cleared to travel, Mike will still be on “house arrest” for another three months. Also, Mike’s arm is broken, and he’s in a cast from hand to shoulder. We’ll have follow-up X-rays next week to make sure it is set properly, and then he’ll get a more permanent cast. Main concern here is that the growth plate heals well. He also has a facial fracture but this is not something that needs surgery. His bumps, bruises, etc are looking better now with the swelling and bruising beginning to dissipate.

We are scheduled to leave the hospital on Sunday, Oct 12th, and then we will stay together as a family in La Jolla (San Diego), CA for another three weeks. The hotel moved us to the other end of the property and into new rooms. We will be more or less confined to the hotel room, except for short, slow, safe walks (seriously, is that really possible with three little boys??). We’ve spoken with several specialists who have recommended that we all stay together as a family for this time, so we are going to make that happen. After that, we’ll return to North Carolina. There we will try to resume life as “normal” as we can with the added change of Mike’s new schedule (still no running, sports, rough play, climbing, etc for those three months). We aren’t sure what all that will mean, but we are starting to make the necessary adjustments for life on the other side.

HOW TO PRAY:
– physically: liver heals as it should with no new injuries; arm sets and heals as it should, esp no growth plate problems down the road; no surprises along the way; sleep for all of us
– relationally: that we would love one another even when tired, stressed, bored, jealous, sore, etc. over the next few weeks and beyond
– emotionally: the trauma of the last week takes a toll that is not measurable but is real nonetheless
– practically: that we would discover how to make life happen in a hotel room in ways that are stimulating and fun and relationship building for our boys and for us
– spiritually: that God walk with us and work through us in all things
– Also, pray for Jan and her son, Jack, who is in the hospital down the hall. Jan is a single mom that Nan has gotten to know over the last few days. She is caring for her sick son. Those of you that have sent food have been feeding her too, she is very grateful.

I’ll continue to post updates and prayer requests… Jeff and Nan have expressed multiple times how HUGE it is to be surrounded by such great friends in the midst of this experience. Thanks for your interest and comments here as well - very encouraging.