Thursday, May 15, 2008

A Birthday Wish

For as long as I can remember, my greatest earthly desire has been to be a mother. There was a time, not too long ago, when I worried that I might never have a child after having lost Samuel. For four years we waited, prayed, cried, trusted, doubted, and hoped; we ran the full gamut of emotions. I made it my goal to live and breathe aloud in prayer 2 verses: “Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb.” Deut. 30:9, and Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I prayed them; I believed them. And in May of 2004, I gave birth to the most precious baby I had ever laid eyes on, Seth Marshall Stringer. God has given me the desires of my heart and for Seth I am most profoundly grateful. Seth is smart, witty, a great problem solver, the hardest little worker I know, totally a silly spaz, and a cheerful little man. I am honored to be his mom. With Friggs I get to build forts, catch lizards and snakes and bugs, pretend to be a whale shark or dinosaur, and save the world. Here is my birthday wish for Seth: just as Jesus took the few loaves and fed the five thousand, may He take my efforts as a mother and turn Seth into a mighty warrior for God.
This last Christmas I made a video of Friggs for my mom, so I’ll include it. Just know that it only goes up through the fall so it's not totally current, and it's 4 minutes long, but hang in there for the dancing montage - it's worth it. Many, many thanks for those of you who prayed Seth here. He is quite excited about turning 4 this week!

6 comments:

Kelly said...

Thank you so much for sharing this! Yours words brought tears to my eyes. Kyle and Seth's dancing made me laugh. I laughed hard!! Happy Birthday, Seth!!!

Sarah said...

Your post brought tears to my eyes. You are a wonderful mother and Seth is an amazing child. We love him so much and thank you guys for letting all three of us be a part of his precious little life. Happy Birthday, Seth!

You were my first--my first friend to lose a child, my first friend to try so desperately and so long for another, and my first friend to see succeed in a marriage that hit some bumps because of those two things. (maybe I shouldn't write that, you can delete this after you read it if not) But, above all, you were the first that I saw have complete and total faith that God would give you the desires of your heart. For that I am eternally grateful. We love you guys, we love your kids and we are so very blessed to have you as friends!

larshannon said...

I loved the post first of all. It was a window to your soul which was/is beautiful! The video is a priceless view of your life! The dancing was definitely worth the wait.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to Seth! We love you guys and it's been a blessing to watch you all grow over these years and be a part of your life. From the hard times to the fun times, and everything in between.

Cheryl said...

Happy Birthday Seth!! What a sweet video. Seth is such a precious little boy. Isaac is still talking about all the fun he had at your home the other day. Looking forward to more fun play dates!

Camille, Blake, Pierce and baby Asher said...

Happy Birthday Seth... what a beautiful blessing.