Seasons of Joy

I’m sharing a little bit from my adult children today. I am so proud of each one of them. They amaze me everyday- they are my best friends, my biggest supporters and the absolute joy of my life.

As you all know, Thomas works for a church as an assistant worship pastor. His college work in music production has stood him in good stead for this Covid season. His church is currently online and each week he needs to put together the worship songs, as well as doing sound for the actual recording of the sermon, reading and prayers. The service below is the one he put together for last Saturday. The sermon is EXCELLENT and very Poignant for this season. Thomas leads the last worship song 56 mins in. My son, worshiping his God, alone in his studio in the garden. So blessed.

On Wednesday he gave his first ever sermon for the midweek service. I marvel that God is calling my son, who was diagnosed with a speech disorder aged 7, to speak publicly. Thomas, who enjoys the background work rather than being in the spotlight, is now praying about his future and looking into Theology degrees for next year. I am so excited about his future, and so very proud of the young man who runs in bubble baths for his youngest twin when she is anxious over a doctors’ appointment, and spends hours teaching his little sisters to play MineCraft and chooses to hang out with his oldest twin watching romcoms with her whilst Charlotte is with Ads. He is a one of my most favourite people in the world, and I am so proud to call him my son.

Charlotte has turned a corner this week, I think. It is very easy when you are chronically ill to let your illness become your identity. As parents, Gary and I walk a thin line between making sure Charlotte knows she has our support 100% and making sure that we guide her away from focusing so much on her ill health that her whole life becomes about it. As always, relationship is the key. Especially now she is 18. Charlotte and I are so close and I feel blessed that she listens to any advice I have to offer, especially because most of the time I feel completely out of my depth.

As you would expect, Charlotte has used her situation to spread the word about chronic illnesses and the lack of support for adolescents. The last couple of weeks her blog posts have become much more positive as she shares the lessons she has learnt over the past few years and how she has come to terms with having a chronic illness that she may have for the rest of her life.

Charlotte has written posts about Stepping Out in Faith, learning how to Pace, and Tips for Studying with a Chronic Illness. She has set herself a goal of reading 200 books this year, and every day seeks to meet that goal. In addition to this, she is studying for two Level Three Diplomas. One is in Criminal Psychology and the other is in Editing and Proofreading. She has also published one poetry book and has completed her second one; her psychological thriller of 65000 words is finished and she is in the process of editing it before she self-publishes; she has begun a fantasy romance novel based on Hades and Persephone as well as a novel about living a fulfilling life with a chronic illness.

She is turning her lemons into lemonade. And I couldn’t be prouder of her spirit, her achievements (large and small) and her courage facing each day exhausted and in pain but with determination and a will of steel.

You heard from Lillie last week when she wrote my Seasons of Joy post about her latest art project. Since then she has had back her marks, and indeed her marks for all of last term. Lil achieved an excellent in attendance, an excellent on effort and an excellent in ability. She also received a personal email from the head of the Masters program in Graphic Design. The head had been sitting in on some of her lessons and wanted to tell Lillie how impressed she had been with Lil’s engagement and enthusiasm in class. Lil is starting a degree in Graphic Design in September so this really meant something to her.

Lillie is in every way my right hand woman. She always notices a need and without fail tries to help in any way she can. Again, I am so proud and so blessed by the woman she is becoming.

Happy, happy sigh. I find being a wife and mummy so fulfilling. And I am so grateful and thankful that I have had the privilege of staying at home and pouring my life into the lives of my family. So blessed.

Thank you God ❤️