Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Happy Birthday, Son!

I’ve always thought that, while a birthday is most certainly a personal celebration for the one whose birth anniversary is being celebrated, in many cases (such as mine), the mother also has a personal (and usually private) celebration of the same event.

Several years ago today, I became a mother. It was and is, without question, the most incredible, miraculously amazing blessing anyone could ever experience. It is a true picture of God’s amazing grace, that he would bless me, so undeserved, with motherhood. My two children are my constant reminder of how much God loves me. My son was my firstborn, and so it is that with his birthday each year, I celebrate the anniversary of my greatest blessing, becoming a mother.

Our son has always been a constant, and when I say constant, I mean constant, source of joy for his parents. It would be impossible to count the ways he has brought us joy.

Being a bit picture-obsessed, there are hundreds of pictures accessible on my computer. But for the sake of the reader, I’ll bring out only a few (and when I say “few,” I mean many).

Happy Birthday, Sweetest of all Sons.

1970 Oct Mark first studio 4 months

1970 (4 months-first studio picture)

 

1971-feb 12 Mark almost 8 mos still blue eyes

1971 (almost 8 months—eyes still blue—later green)

 

1971-Mark's 1st BD June

1971-First Birthday (people trying to sign him up for football—look at that body!!)

 

1972-Mark on Wonder Horse

1972—loved that Wonder Horse (and Dad’s USMC “cover”)

 

1973-Mark age 3 June

1973 (age 3) (People encouraging me to let him be a model—I don’t think so!)

 

1975-Jan Mark

Age 5

 

1982-Mark's 12th BD

12th birthday

 

1982-M French horn

Played French horn in band

 

1982-Ready for band concert

Age 12 (in high school band already)

 

1983- basketball

Age 13

 

1984 Licking Comm Theat musical singing Anything You Can Do

Age 14, with sister, as they were together in several stage productions (this one, singing “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” from “Annie Get Your Gun”)

 

1984-First Place Science Fair

Freshman Science Fair, First Place

 

1986 Mark's 16th bd in Argentina-BD Arg style

Celebrating 16th birthday Argentine Style while visiting family in Argentina.

 

1986-a very proud moment for Mark

Christmas after turning 16, driving his Mustang for sister (Miss Merrie Christmas) in Christmas Parade—a proud brother moment.

 

1987 Prom

Junior Prom (picture with sister)

 

1988-Performing Great American Cheese

Performing First-Place Humorous Duet (many, many trips with the Speech Team and National Forensics League)

 

1988-Pic taken for newspaper-M on tennis team

High School Tennis Team Junior and Senior Years (picture taken for local newspaper)

 

1987-040 Mark Senior Pic

Senior Pictures

1987-Mark Senior Pic

 

1988-Mark Valedictorian HS May

1988 High School Valedictorian

 

1988-033 Mark's 18th bd

18th birthday

 

1988-Mark in dorm room 316 Landon Hall SBU Bolivar

Off to college—dorm room

 

1989-big bass lots of fishing summer of 89

Loved to fish during summers

 

1989-Mark returns to SBU-sophomore

1989 Back to College

 

1990-4-21 Bicycle Club for dinner Spgfd

1990-Met the Love of his life, Kristy

 

1991-Scanned in 2014-001

1991-Married the Love of his life

 

1992 May Mark's college grad

1992-College Graduation (with Honors)- (three years later, Master’s Degree from Seminary)

 

1993-Tory's birth

1993-Birth of his firstborn, Tory

 

1995-Conner's birth

1995-Birth of his son, Conner

 

2012-Tory's HS grad

2012-High School Graduation, Tory

 

2014-High School Graduation, Conner

 

Did I mention how thankful I am that God chose to bless me immeasurably with a wonderful family! Thank you, Lord!

2 comments:

jasann said...

What lovely photo's of a beautiful baby growing up into a beautiful young man!!! How blessed your family is! Congratulations!!!! And Thanks for sharing!!!

Barbara said...

Thank you, Jasann! It's a true story and one I am happy to share! You are right, we are blessed.