Joshy's 25!!!!

My oldest son Josh (aka Joshy) turned 25 on August 1st. This sounds so ridiculous to me...my first born is now 25? In honor of my Joshy let me tell you a little bit about him:

When Josh was born he was HUGE!! I have to be honest and tell you I was a little upset that he was SO BIG! I wanted a newborn for my first baby. But out pops Joshy looking like a 6 month old already. He weighed almost 9 pounds and had a full head of curly black hair (I had to give him a haircut the day I brought him home.) He didn't have the wobbly little newborn head and was as strong as an ox. He'd lift his head up curiously looking through the clear hospital baby bin, checking out all the puny babies surrounding him. He seemed to know that he was already stronger and more coordinated...starting life out ahead of the pack.

Josh excelled at every sport- soccer, football, baseball, and track. Wait a minute...I have to add basketball to the list! The one time he decided to try out for basketball in Jr. High School, even though he'd never played before...he made it! To top it off, he helped his team make school history by beating a rival private school which they'd never done before. They pulled off the huge upset in the final seconds of the game when Josh stoled the ball, passed it to his teammate who threw it up for 3 points at the buzzer to beat the then undefeated team by 1 point. The following year, they did not invite our Jr. High to their tournament.

Josh had an easy going, whatever attitude about his ability. He never was one to show off or talk himself up. He just knew that once he stepped onto the field, track, or court...his abilities would speak for himself. Coaches loved him. They all tried to get Josh on their teams and all star teams. One year during baseball season, Josh was a pitcher. We had gone away on vacation during a holiday break and I decided to work with him on his pitching. He threw sidearm. It was incredibly fast and accurate, but I was worried that he'd blow his arm out throwing that way, so I tried to break his habit. We worked and worked at it, until he no longer pitched sidearm. Well, when we got back, his pitches weren't as fast anymore and the coaches asked me, "What'd you do?" OOPS! Well, the team then got the BEST and FASTEST center fielder they'd ever seen. The coach knew that anything hit into the outfield would be caught. Not to mention his incredible bat speed where he hit homerun after homerun! He was a superstar! One All Star game, Josh was flying all around the field catching the right and left fielders balls as well as his own. I was so embarrassed, wondering what he was doing. It wasn't until after the game that he told me, "Mom, the coach told me he wanted to win and that it was a big game so I needed to catch ALL the balls I could get to even if it went to right and left field." Well there you have it. I bet the coach had no idea that with Josh's speed...there was no where on that field that he couldn't get too. THEY WON OF COURSE!

In track he broke the Frosh/Soph school record in the 400 meter. He was placed on the Varsity team as a freshman after an incredible "heart" performance in his very first meet. He was running the anchor leg (4th) on the Freshman relay team. His team was so far behind it looked hopeless by the time he received the baton. Then he did the impossible. He needed to catch the leader who was already 200+ meters ahead of him. He took off and slowly began to catch him. By the time they reached the final 50 meters, Josh and the leader were now neck in neck. The crowd was screaming. His coaches and team mates were running alongside yelling and cheering. No one could believe that he'd actually caught the leader and had a chance to win. As they reached the finish line, Josh pulled ahead and the other boy's legs gave out and he fell from trying to hold him off. Josh crossed the finish line...victorious.

His sophomore year, he and his relay teammates traveled to compete against the best of the best in Texas in the 4x400m relay teams. They were also invited to the top in the nation, elite, Arcadia Invitational Night meet and went on to win CIF and compete in the state meet. He showed not only his natural talent & speed but also his heart.

BEST OF THE BEST AT THE TEXAS MEET

During his freshman football season, the coaches decided to move him from running back to wide receiver. He looked more like a wide receiver and the coaches thought they could utilize his speed better at that position. He also played corner on defense. After the summer passing league, Josh no longer was enjoying football because he didn't like playing wide receiver and he was ready to quit. He knew he was a running back. He loved that position and had played it his whole life. The coaches talked to him and agreed to rotate him in at running back and start him at corner. In the very first game against San Clemente, Josh didn't get one single carry in the first half of the game, they used another running back instead. Our team was down at the half, 21-0. During the second half kick off, Josh caught the ball and ran it back for a 98 yard touchdown. The next offensive play they put him in at running back. On the first handoff, they pitched it to him. He hit the corner and was gone...80 yard touchdown! He proceeded to score two more additional touchdowns and we won! He set a freshman rushing record with over 1,000+ yards rushing. His senior football season was filled with disappointment when he tore his MCL on the very first kick off return against San Clemente. His team ended up having a great season, and he learned the important role of being a supportive teammate on the sidelines. Trying to lift others up even though he was unable to be on the field to help them.

Josh has had his share of ups and downs, as we all have, and yet, he continues to hit life running. He's learned to weather life's storms, to keep pushing forward and to never give up on a dream. I know that all of his past experiences and the lesson he's learned growing up playing sports has served to show him that no matter what happens...don't quit, the breakthrough is coming.

Josh's birth changed my life! I was blessed with a healthy boy who I love with all my heart (more than I ever thought possible.) As he grew, I wanted him to know that no matter what kind of frustration, anger, disappointment or hurt, he experienced, I would ALWAYS be there for him with unconditional love and encouragement.

I am so proud of Josh for his quiet determination. His perseverance and will to continue to go after what he wants in life. I can't wait to see all that he achieves in his life! The Lord truly blessed me and gave me an amazing gift...my Joshy!

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY JOSH! I love you with all my heart and I am so grateful to call you my son!!!

Happy 22nd Birthday Joshy

22 yrs old today!

I can't believe my oldest son is 22 today! It was just yesterday when I gave birth to a HUGE baby! He weighed almost 9lbs. & came out looking like a 3 mo. old. He had a full head of black hair & could lift his head up out of the hospital bed to look curiously at all of the family & friends staring at him through the glass window.

My niece (a year and half at the time), was trying to see her new baby cousin, spotted the only one with a full head of hair & shouted, to her mothers horror, "LOOK AT THE BABY MONKEY MOMMY!"

Most mothers think their baby is beautiful no matter how ugly they really are. I on the other hand knew that my baby wasn't very cute & I also was upset that I didn't have a "newborn" for my first time giving birth. This kid was a miniature man!

As the nurse came to give the lady in the adjoining room her baby, I listened as she said, "What a beautiful baby!" Next she brought Joshy into me & said, "WOW, look at all that hair!" I remember thinking, "Even the nurse thinks he's ugly!"

Thank goodness he grew into all that hair & cheeks. But I should have been careful what I wished for, he ended up being the most beautiful little boy. The girls would go crazy for him from the time he started kindergarten all the way through school.

Joshy was an incredible athlete always faster, more agile and athletic than all of the other boys his age. He was a 4 yr. Letterman in track & still holds records at Edison H.S. He also received MVP award for breaking the Freshman rushing record for a single season. He unfortunately tore his ACL his Senior year & was unable to play.

He currently is finishing cosmetology school & working. I'm so grateful that I was blessed with Joshy as my son. He has been such a joy in my life!

Reading my card/book...I always write too much!

Hugging my boy...they never grow up in a mothers eyes.


Joshy & his girlfriend Charmaine...waiting for cake & watchin the X-Games.

Jullien & Elijah...CAKE NOW PLEASE!

Makin' a wish


I love you...Happy 22nd Birthday!

The Final Hour

In our final hour of need, God showed up and gave us the miracle that we had been praying for. We have been trying for over six months to get our home loan restructured. All the reply's we received were, "We are reviewing it." We returned home on Sunday, Jan. 4th, from visiting my dad in Utah. A letter was waiting for us stating that they had denied our request. Our home was due to be put up for auction on Jan. 7 @ 9:00 a.m.

I wrote a last resort letter to the Governor and news channels to let them know that Wells Fargo was not willing to help their customers. I decided to look for the CEO of Wells Fargo's email address (knowing that they NEVER post CEO's direct email's). I tried two times...the second time I stumbled across a random web page which stated, "Here are direct email contacts for the CEO and the top Executive Officer's of Wells Fargo." "WOW, now that's weird," I thought. I figured it would probably get rejected but sent it to all of the listed addresses.

I wrote what had transpired over the six month's and that they were our last hope. I said that I hoped they would be an answer to our prayers. Amazingly, it went through!

The next morning at 9:00 a.m., Anthony received a call stating that the the CEO had received the email and wanted to help us. We received the approval and with a 1:00 p.m. Western Union cutoff time...we sent the payment with only minutes to spare.

I want to remind everyone to NEVER give up, God will stretch your faith to the very last minute. I can tell you that he hears, cares and answers our prayers. Continue to have faith no matter how difficult or impossible your situation may seem.

Inspirational Story From A Dr. In South Africa

I received this story yesterday...thought about not opening it because it came with a bunch of other e-mails. I passed it up as I erased a group of them. Closed my e-mail, signed back in a half hour later, read other stuff...for some reason it kept grabbing my attention, the heading read- (Prayers4You) Re: Isaiah 65:24

I finally listened to the inner prompting...it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I cried, went home and read it to my husband and cried again. Grab your Kleenex and enjoy this amazing story that YOU WERE MEANT TO READ TODAY.

This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa ..
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One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator)

We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)

"And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon , as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the veranda was a large22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?" Of course, I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

"Before they call, I will answer." (Isaiah 65:24)

When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.

This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen

P.S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do!


"It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24