All posts by Samantha Jolicoeur

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Faith & Hope, Parenting, Special needs children

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Have you ever heard of an old hymn called Great is Thy Faithfulness? If your were raised Baptist you probably do…

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

I never appreciated this hymn mostly because there was always someone who sang it off-key in the church pew behind me when I was a kid. Nevertheless, I’ve come to realize just how great His faithfulness truly is (and has been) in my life.

About a year ago, I told my husband that I felt like the Lord was calling us to sell our house and pay off our remaining debt. He laughed at me and somewhat flippantly said, “Yeah, I’ll pray about that.” So I didn’t push the issue (too much) after that.

By the time summer came around, God had softened Kevin’s heart to the idea of selling. But since we were busy with Joni & Friends family camp and the GFPD conference, we just didn’t have time.  However in August we started giving away and selling some of our belongings. In September we put our house on the market and within two days of back to back showings, we received 5 offers. Three of those offers were more than we could have hoped for.

In the process of selling, we found a non-traditional apartment that would only cost us $550/month, all bills paid. In essence, we hit the renters jackpot. (Unfortunately we won’t be able to move in until after the first of the year; so for now my brother-in-law is putting up with us.) I just love how God provides.

But that’s not even the coolest part of what God has been doing these past few months. After we sold our house, I came to appreciate even more the part of the hymn that says, “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.” Here’s why..

Around the same time I first felt the Lord calling us to sell, we were in the process of ordering Gideon’s wheelchair. I knew it was going to be a tight fit in my jeep compass, but my vehicle was paid off. We certainly couldn’t make payments on something bigger because we are a one income family. I remember sarcastically telling God, “I’m gonna need you to figure out our vehicle situation!” God must have shook his head and laughed. Looking back now, He saw that need long before we did and He went above and beyond our need when this gift was dropped  into our laps….

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That is a 2015 Toyota Sienna, BraunAbility  wheelchair accessible van. Who gave it to us you ask?? If you find out, please let us know!!  Apparently there is a family out there that chooses to anonymously bless others in extravagant ways. Someone pointed them towards my blog and the family’s liaison reached out to me to let me know that we had been chosen to be the recipients of this amazing free gift. Even after a month of driving the van, it still doesn’t seem real.

It would take a book to write down all the ways God has continually provided for my family.  He has been faithful, time and time again. We are beyond excited about this new chapter that is unfolding. We don’t know where we will be in the next year or so, but that’s the fun part. We have learned throughout our marriage that we don’t have to worry about the details. We are committed to praying about our needs and letting God work out the details. Afterall, all we have needed His hand hath provided.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!!

Ephesians 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

The Play Ball Kid

Parenting, Special needs children

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Thanks to CC Carpet, my daughter Laynie got a neat opportunity to be the Play Ball Kid at the Texas Rangers Game in Arlington. Basically she got to go down to the field (in front of 47,000+ people) and say “Play ball!”

Since the game started at 7 pm, we decided to leave Gideon with Kevin’s parents and my mom. His bed time is 7:30 pm and my dad was MORE THAN happy to ensure that little man’s ticket didn’t go to waste.  😉

So once we got there, we planned on getting Laynie a blue Rangers t-shirt for her big moment. Of course, she picked a pink Rangers dress instead. If you know my daughter, this is no surprise. Judge if you must, but I bought it.

I choose my battles wisely.

When the time came, only one parent could go onto the field with the play ball kid, so I suggested Kevin go with Laynie. Unfortunately, I forgot about Captain- the mascot. Laynie is terrified of mascots. She hates the Easter Bunny, Chuck E Cheese, & even Santa Clause.

Needless to say, she looked little fearful as she stood next to Captain yelling, play ball!

Check it out.

But what’s funny about this experience is what happened before Kevin and Laynie went onto the field.

Kevin & Laynie were sitting in the press conference room with some other kids (and their parents) who also took part in the opening ceremonies.

The Rangers personnel were going over procedures for each kid, and when they came to Laynie they asked, “Do you know what you are going to say?”

Laynie softly replied, “Play ball.”

Concerned about Laynie’s volume, the woman speaking told Laynie she would have to yell really loud.

She asked Laynie, “Do you have a brother?”

Laynie replied “Yes.”

The woman continued, “Do you ever have to yell at your brother to stop touching your toys and give back your things?”

(You see where this is going??)

Without missing a beat, Laynie said directly, “No, my brother is blind and deaf, so I do not yell at him.”

Kevin said the woman was so caught off guard, that she looked to him for clarity. Kevin (grinning ear to ear) nodded & told her that Laynie’s brother was in fact blind and deaf; and that he would not hear her even if she yelled at him. After a period of awkward silence, the woman said, “Well….uh…just make sure you say it really loud.”

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that moment!!

When they returned, Kevin told my dad and I the whole story. We cried because we were laughing so hard!!

By the 7th inning stretch, Laynie was wiped out, so we decided to beat the traffic and head home. It was a great night for all us. Laynie felt so important and so special.

We are extremely grateful to CC Carpet for giving us such an amazing opportunity to spend time with our little girl in a setting that was all about her!!

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Pause for PBD

Faith & Hope, Parenting, Special needs children, ,

On October 5th, we will Pause for PBD and I would like for you to join us.

On this day, the Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders will be celebrating it’s 5th birthday, and in honor of this foundation that helps families affected by PBD, I’m asking for some favors from my readers. But before I do, let me tell you how this organization has blessed my life.

When Gideon was diagnosed, I didn’t know anyone who had a child with PBD. It’s pretty rare. Shortly after, I began blogging about my son and within a few days, my first post was shared with Shannon Butalla…who lives in Omaha Nebraska. When I told her what the doctors said (Gideon wasn’t going to live past one year old) she said, “I don’t want to tell you that your doctors are wrong, but they’re wrong.”  After 30 minutes on the phone with her, I was relieved to finally know someone who actually knew what the heck they were talking about in regards to PBD. Shannon has lived and breathed it for the past 13 years with her son, Sam.

Shannon and a few others are responsible for the inception of this organization that provides hope and support to families like ours. They provide a means for equipment exchange and through donations and fundraising, the GFPD was able to help cover the cost for us so we could attended their Family & Scientific Conference in Omaha.

Today, we are now connected with an enormous family of some of the strongest people I know…people who battle this horrible disease every day as it slowly pulls our children away from us.

So it’s my hope that you’ll be able to help the GFPD celebrate its 5th birthday in one or more of the following ways.

  1. Click HERE to purchase a Pause for PBD t-shirt (their goal is 300 shirts..but I think we do better than that!!)
  2. Share this LINK on your social media sites to help raise awareness & funds
  3. Use the hashtag #PauseforPBD on social media as well a photo of Gideon (or any other PBD babies you may know…You have my permission to share the one below.)

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I just want to say thank you to all my readers. Your comments and messages of support have meant more to me than I could every adequately express.

Thank you for continuing to follow our journey and don’t forget to Pause for PBD on October 5th!!

To learn more about PBD, click The GFPD.