I would love to invite all of you to purchase a copy of my brand-spankin’-new CD! It is called Meet Us Here. I believe you would be blessed by it!
Five of the eleven songs are original songs that I wrote. One song, in particular, is very special to me. It is a song that I wrote about my “special” child, Victoria. The song is called “She Is God’s Child.”
Another song I wrote, “Great God,” is receiving local airplay. You can hear it played on Power 88 (88.5 FM), if you are local. If you are not, it will be featured on Power 88’s “Local Artist Spotlight” myspace page in the next day or so. Visit that page at: www.myspace.com/power88local.
If you would like to order or download a digital copy of Meet Us Here, you can do so at www.cdbaby.com/heathermessick. You can hear samples of each song on that website, as well.
Happy Listening!
Thursday night was Ladies Night Out at First Baptist North Mobile. I was the guest singer/speaker for the event. It was a night full of blessings for me.
What a unique opportunity it was for me to share at Ladies Night Out. You see, First Baptist North Mobile is my home church. Some of the ladies present for the event have seen me “live out” the journey that I’ve been on. They see me and my family in all of our disfunctional-ness (I’m sure that is not a real word!) on a daily basis. They have known Victoria from birth and have prayed her through many physical struggles. So, I felt honored to be able to share with those ladies in this sort of setting.
I was also able to share with a diverse group of women. There were women present who have struggled with substance abuse, women who had children with special needs (and some brought their “special” children with them), women who had completely different struggles that sometimes carry those burdens secretly and women who had come from other churches just because they were curious about what I would say. What a blessing for me to be able to share with all of them.
I was blown away by all of the women who came up to speak to me before the event started. I saw one lady who I met a month or so ago in Springhill Hospital. When Victoria was in the hospital with pneumonia, this sweet lady was in the same unit with her 22-year-old quadriplegic son who was sick, as well. We talked and cried together in the hospital about the griefs and joys we have experienced as mothers of special needs kids. How awesome that she would want to come and hear me share my story at North Mobile.
I also saw a woman at Ladies Night Out that I met almost 2 years ago at a Breakfast For Santa event that AIDB put on for the “special” kids they serve with therapists. This lady’s son, Hollis, has the same birthday as Victoria. I felt so honored that Gwen, who I’ve not seen in such a long time, would come hear me speak and sing. When I saw her before the event started, she was holding her son, Hollis. Let me tell you … I almost lost it when I saw that sweet boy. My heart just swelled with joy to see that God drew this sweet woman to our church on such a special night.
Have you ever realized all of a sudden that God put you in such a unique ministry? I think I realized that on Thursday night. I was overwhelmed by God’s grace and goodness to use such a broken vessel to minister to women from all walks of life. How incredible. How amazing. And, just because I’m open to share my struggles, griefs and joys with others … it blows my mind that God can take that and bless it.
I look forward to the days ahead and pray that I will always be faithful to share with others (even on a daily basis) how God has walked with us through our “special” journey.
Victoria met with her physical therapist on Monday of this week. This is the first time that we have met with her since Christmas. Victoria has been doing so well that her therapist thought that she didn’t need to come see her as often.
When Candace saw Victoria this week she was in awe of how great she was doing. She said that “Victoria has officially turned into a toddler!” She was so excited about how Victoria can walk outside (on uneven surfaces) with little or no falling. She can also walk over thresholds and other objects now with ease. It was a great visit with Candace. As a result of Victoria’s wonderful progress, she has been released from her physical therapist! Candace said that Victoria’s sisters are now her main source of motivation!
Victoria is a very busy girl. She is getting into everything. I even see her opening drawers that once were out of her reach. She actually pulled a hairbrush out of a drawer today and acted like she was brushing her hair. It was the cutest thing.
It is amazing to see how well Victoria is doing. She is doing several simple signs now and realizes that signing is a form of communication. She is even beginning to try to form words. She isn’t just grunting anymore. I really believe that she will soon be saying things that I can somewhat understand. I think the day she says my name … well, I’ll just cry.
I am forever thankful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to see Him work in such miraculous ways on a daily basis! The thrill of seeing a special needs child achieve new things never gets old. You don’t take for granted that tasks are easy for them because you know they are, in fact, a challenge. You know your “special child” works much harder than a normal kid to do the things they do. But, the thing I’m aware of so much more now is that Victoria doesn’t do what she does alone. The Holy Spirit is at work in her life! I truly believe that God has done things in her body that is just plain miraculous. I credit the Lord for all that Victoria has been able to do so far and will continue to do. And, as long as God lets me hang around on this big o’l ball we call earth … I will forever be amazed at how awesome He is!
Hi Ladies! If you are in the area, I wanted to let you know of an event that I’ll be singing/speaking at in May of this year. The event is called Ladies Night Out. The event will be held on May 6th at 6:30pm. Dinner will be served. You can purchase tickets from First Baptist North Mobile. Contact the church at 251-679-3266 to obtain tickets.
