HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEL!!!

December 31 is a significant date for our family. It's my dad's birthday, and it's Timothy & Jodi's wedding anniversary! Today's important for another reason, too.

Our fourth son is 15 today. He's growing into quite the young man. As I write this he is enjoying some quiet time... chopping wood! Joel very much enjoys hands-on projects, especially if they're outdoors.

It doesn't seem that long ago that he was just a little guy. Well, I guess he never was tiny - 9 lb. 5 oz. at birth. He was born on the evening of New Year's Eve in 1992. The Alabama football team won the NCAA National Championship the next day. His daddy still says it was a GREAT weekend.

His favorite "song" when he was younger was Going on a Bear Hunt, though he said it much cuter... Goin' on a Beaw-a Hunt. We would have him repeat it over and over just because it made us smile.

I remember the day we were shopping in the Toys R Us store in Pensacola, Florida. Joel was an older toddler at that point. We were shopping as a family, so there were at least 7 of us, maybe 8. At some point we realized Joel was missing. Now the store wasn't very big, and it didn't take long for the older people in the family to check every aisle, but Joel was nowhere to be seen. We talked to an employee, and the store went into something of a lock-down mode. Every child leaving the store was questioned... "Hi...what's your name?" "Is this your mommy?" He wasn't there. Joel's big brothers Timothy and Daniel even went out to the parking lot, in case he was leaving in someone else's car. He was not to be found. I was okay in the beginning, knowing that a child is often just around the corner. During the few minutes he was missing (that seemed like MUCH longer), I started getting rather concerned. As I tried not to panic, I started thinking about the joy Joel brought to our family. He LOVED to sing. How I'd miss that if anything happened to him. (We did eventually find him. The squirt was having a grand time hiding from all of us under one of the baby cribs. Grrrr.)

And I clearly remember the Mother's Day when we were visiting with friends in Niceville, Florida. Most of the children were jumping on the trampoline outside while a few were kicking the soccer ball around. The parents were inside finishing up their dinner; Paul had just left for a meeting at the church. I saw Joel run by the window and then out of my range. The next thing I saw was his older brother Daniel jumping off the trampoline and running across the yard in a hurry. His face said something was wrong. The next few minutes were a blur as we realized our young Joel had fallen into the pool. He was pulled out from under the water. Daniel saved his brother's life that day.

Joel has had more than one "close call" through the years. I'm convinced that Satan would like to remove him from our family. I'm also confident that God has a special plan and purpose for our son. He's faithful to read Scripture and often has really good questions about what he reads. Joel has a servant's heart and loves to learn. It will be exciting to see what God has in store for Joel's future.

He's no longer a little boy. Now he's trying to catch up to his daddy's 6'3". He's definitely one of the "big boys" in the family and can hold his own with any of them on the basketball court or the soccer field. He's a true blessing to each member of our family. Thank you, Lord, for this precious blessing and all he brings to our family. May your hand be on Him and his eyes on you as he continues along this journey called life.