This photo of Gideon and his daddy reminded me of a song called All Of Me by Matt Hammitt. I highly recommend you take a second and listen to it.

But if you don’t have time, here are the lyrics-

Afraid to love, something that could break
Could I move on if you were torn away?
And I’m so close to what I can’t control
I can’t give you half my heart and pray He makes you whole

You’re gonna have all of me
You’re gonna have all of me
‘Cause you’re worth every falling tear
You’re worth facing any fear

You’re gonna know all my love
Even if it’s not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving you all of me is where I’ll start

I won’t let sadness steal you from my arms
I won’t let pain keep you from my heart
I’ll trade the fear of all that I could lose
For every moment I’ll share with you

You’re gonna have all of me
You’re gonna have all of me
‘Cause you’re worth every falling tear
You’re worth facing any fear

You’re gonna know all my love
Even if it’s not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving you all of me is where I’ll start

Heaven brought you to this moment, it’s too wonderful to speak
You’re worth all of me, you’re worth all of me
So let me recklessly love you even if I bleed
You’re worth all of me, you’re worth all of me

You’re gonna have all of me
You’re gonna have all of me
‘Cause you’re worth every falling tear
You’re worth facing any fear

You’re gonna know all my love
Even if it’s not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving you all of me is where I’ll start

You’re gonna have all of me
‘Cause you’re worth every falling tear
You’re worth facing any fear

You’re gonna know all my love
Even if it’s not enough
Enough to mend our broken hearts
But giving you all of me is where I’ll start
Is where I’ll start

I promise there’s a good reason why I’m going to ask you to take 2 minutes and 53 seconds to watch the story behind why Matt Hammitt wrote this song.

Click HERE to watch it.

Pretty powerful, huh? I love this story because I think it accurately reflects how we all feel when we know our hearts will inevitably be broken. If we keep the walls up, then maybe the pain won’t hurt so bad. But like Matt said, it’s hard to build a wall between you and one you love…especially a baby.

His story reminds me of a quote from a book I read by Nancy Guthrie called Holding Onto Hope. She spoke about how she had given a piece of her heart to Hope and when Hope died, she took it with her. When we lose a loved one, we are like an amputee; we have to learn how to function all over again- because a part of us is gone.

Every time I hear this song I cry. Not just because it was written for me and Gideon (seriously though…it could have been); but also because sometimes I imagine Jesus sings it to me-  You’re gonna have all of me. You’re gonna have all of me. Cause you’re worth every fallen tear. You’re worth facing any fear. You’re gonna know all my love…So let me recklessly love you, even if I bleed. You’re worth all of me. You’re worth all of me.  

Have you ever thought about it that way? He did bleed for us!! For me…for you!! He showed us how to love because he did give all of Himself. He knew his heart would be broken, and yet, he still chose to love us anyways.

So that begs the question…

How can I do anything less for my Gideon?

My sweet boy, you will have all of me.

Loving people can be difficult. Just ask the sweet waitress at a local restaurant we visited this evening. She had about a 10-top and from the time we sat down until the time we left, these people were unbelievably cruel. We watched as they complained again and again, sent food back, asked for the manager, belittled the manager, and then a few from that table had the nerve to walk out on their ticket.. after they enjoyed free desserts…and did I mention they took 3 to-go boxes!?

My heart was broken for their sweet waitress, but more so for our society. Everyone in the restaurant watched as the scene unfolded as if it were a play. The people at this table were laughing as the manager went back and forth trying to comp items on their ticket, like it was a game.

I feel a great sense of distress when people are manipulative. Don’t get me wrong, had there been a genuine complaint, I understand calling a manager into the situation. But what this group of adults did was wrong.

And do you want to know what I was thinking?

Jesus wants me to love them???

Maybe it’s Gideon, maybe it’s the hormones, but all I could think about was that the Bible commands us to love time and time again. (John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Romans 13:8, 2 Corinthians 13:11, should I keep going??) But the verse that came to my mind tonight was Ephesians 4:2 which says “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

And that’s what this sweet waitress did tonight. While she was on the floor she was professional, patient and gentle. She showed the love of Christ despite how much she was belittled.

I normally would not blog about something like this but I just want that sweet girl to know something-

How you love the unlovable says a lot about your character. Tonight many people watched and empathized with you as others treated you less than your worth. Jesus died for all of us. I don’t know their story or yours. But I watched as you reflected Christ’s love and I want to encourage you to keep doing just that- even if others don’t deserve it. You never know who is watching. You never know who is praying you through. You never know when your love and compassion will save another.

I hope we all can have that kind of compassion and love for the unlovable. Because if we are honest with ourselves, aren’t we all unlovable from time to time?

Love you sweet girl,
Sam

Gideon is so big.

I’m not talking about his cheeks and thighs, although I think we can all agree, those are big. What I am referring to are his accomplishments. This past week Gideon has been doing some big  stuff. Some mighty warrior stuff… in my book at least.

Click on Big Boy to watch.

Did you laugh? It’s okay if you did, we were cracking up long after the recording stopped. Nothing is more precious when babies first learn to sit up and then after a few seconds, they topple. I love it!!

I know you want to watch it again…go ahead… I’ll wait.

Gideon is 9 months old and just now accomplishing something his sister mastered before she was 6 months old. Not meaning to compare my children, just stating the fact. What I wish I had on video is the next time he did this during his physical therapy session. My little man sat on his own (wobbled back and forth and held it!) for 45 seconds…on the hard wood floor!! Obviously we caught him when he finally toppled over!

On top of sitting up for longer periods of time, he’s also holding his head up a little longer when placed on his stomach. He would not do it for the physical therapist this past week. But he did it for the vision teacher…she had a vibrating toy on his back for a little extra motivation. Creative!!

His vision teacher also brought something called a “Little Room” which is made especially for kiddos like Gideon. Very appealing to the senses he has, and he LOVES it!

The other thing we are celebrating is the fact that he now eats three meals a day. It’s still just the pureed first foods (and it still takes an hour sometimes), but this is HUGE…for two reasons. One- my milk supply is getting low (yes, I’m crazy and still nursing). And Two- I was worried that if he didn’t learn to eat solids, then we would be looking at a feeding tube in the near future.

Now don’t let that face below fool you… He really loves solid food! Especially when I make it fresh. (Which does not happen every day.) Thank God for Gerber…and all the other brands out there.

These things may not sound that significant, but to us they are cause for a big celebration. It is interesting to me what we take for granted. I rejoiced every time Laynie met her milestones, but it did not affect me this much until Gideon came along. I guess because I have been told “he won’t“…I appreciate it more when he does.

My little boy and my little girl are teaching me everyday. I’m learning to appreciate and truly soak up every moment.

It may seem small and insignificant, but all these moments are big. Time with those we love is big. Every moment we are given is cause for celebration.

I hope you’ll take time to celebrate every milestone and every moment in your life. Even if it seems small, what you have today is big. Don’t let another day go by without realizing it.