Shout Outs!

"Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: "Rejoice!" (Philipians 4:4) I try to make it a point not to mention people by name in the blog without asking their permission first; at least not those who don't live in my house or share my last name! :) Today, I wish I could break that rule of thumb, because I intend to thank a lot of you for your love and support over the last few months. So if you're reading along and you come across something that sounds familiar, yes, that's you I'm talking about, and thank you!! (I should also note here that I am one of those annoying people who overuses exclamation points when I'm excited. Yes, I know I have a problem, and my apologies in advance, but I'm going to do it anyway!!!!!!!!) Today is a day for rejoicing! There are some wonderful things going on in the Shelton world, and I am thrilled and overjoyed to share them with you! But as usual, we have to cover some back story before we get to the good stuff. So here it goes! Two weeks ago was Tyler's birthday. It was a great day, and not just because of the annual reminder it is for Steve and me of how blessed we are to have this little boy in our familly. Oh we celebrated for sure, but for lots of reasons. Tyler's birthday fell on a Sunday, and I had a sneaking suspicion early on that day that it was going to be a celebration day all day, and it was! If you've been reading this blog long, you have read of my struggles to recover from thyroid surgery back in December, and of the overwhelming and often daunting challenge set before us of adoption fundraising. I want you to know that God has heard every one of my prayers and has changed my mourning into laughter, my tears of sorrow into tears of joy, and things are moving forward! Let me back up a little further than that. March 19 was a Wednesday, and was the day I reached my breaking point with my stalled-out vocal recovery. We were in Bible study that Wednesday night, and I broke down in tears as I asked the group to pray for me. I had been doing internet research about laryngeal nerve damage following thyroid surgery, and the symptoms were dead-on. Things were not looking hopeful for me to start singing again any time soon, and I was in daily pain, which was aggravated by my constant talking at work. At that point, I couldn't even call the boys in for dinner from the next room, or get their attention if they were upstairs, and the strain of constantly repeating myself was physically and emotionally exhausting. I wept as I described how lost I was and told them that I just couldn't get a handle on it. I felt like a fool as I sat there trying to regain my composure, and really wanted nothing more than to just get out of there quickly after the service was over. But that didn't happen. Far from it, actually! I didn't even get out of my seat before I was told by one woman that she and her small group would be praying for me, and that they would even fast on my behalf, for as long as it takes. We made it as far as the lobby before I was approached by another gentleman who escorted me to a seat and proceeded to talk to me, along with one of our associate pastors, until well after 9:00. They shared from their personal life journeys, gave me some scriptures, and reassured me over and over that God had a plan for me and hadn't forgotten me. Those were things I knew, but I needed to hear them just the same. I left strengthened that night, and posted on Facebook from Galatians. "Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fullfil the law of Christ." I thanked my church for believing that and putting it into practice. And then came the Easter musical, four days later. My struggle was far from over. I couldn't sing a note that day, and sat in the congregation with Trevor on my lap and Tyler pressed up close to my side, and tried to keep from bursting into audible sobs. I cannot begin to tell you how painful it was for me not to be able to join in praise out loud, and how lost I felt with that very big part of my identity having been removed from my life. It wasn't a pity party, it was flat-out heartbrokenness, which was evident all over my face, as people told me over and over they could see it. I got a lot of hugs, and cried a lot more tears, and was exhausted and relieved when it was finally time to go home. Steve stood with me that evening and told me he'd realized our house was too quiet, and something was missing, and realized there was no more music. We both cried, and I resolved in my heart to find a way out of this. After that, I worked up the nerve to try something brave - accupuncture! Now, I am about as needle phobic as you get, or at least I was, so that was a really big step, but the accupuncturist is someone we know well and who I trust, and knew would be honest. He did some research and said he thought he could help, so I started a course of treatment. The first session, I literally began with trembling. As I lay there waiting for the needles to do whatever they do, I quoted as much of the book of James as I could to myself to keep myself calm. I scheduled the next appointment, and went home, still shaken, and praying desperately that it would work. Over the next several days, I started noticing little changes, miniscule changes, actually, and signs of hope. First, I could lift my chin without pain! And then one day I could drink more than a couple sips of water without having difficulty swallowing! The pain and swelling inside started decreasing and easing up! I caught myself humming, and then cautiously allowed myself to sing phrases of music, increasing to choruses of songs on the radio, and soft lullabies to Trenton. By Tyler's birthday, I was able to sing while I was getting ready for church, but still very carefully. And that morning, as the worship set began, I grabbed Steve's hand and opened my mouth, and got through one song, and then another, and then a third, finding with each song that I had more range and power than I thought I did! I began to cry tears of joy, which lasted on and off all day. I sang "Happy Birthday" to Tyler, and in my heart thanked God that I could do it! I still have a little way to go with the vocal recovery, we're not all the way there yet, but I cannot tell you the relief it is to be able to express my joys and sorrows out loud to God through song! Singing Trenton to sleep at night fills me with overwhelming emotion; and evidently it does so for the rest of the family too as the big boys come sit beside me at night while I sing to their brother, which is something they never did before. Our home is getting back to what it used to be, and we are so, so tremendously grateful!!!!!!!!! Before I move on from this, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has held me up through this journey. Thank you to all of you who have shared in my heartache, shared my tears, spoken words of kindness to me (and Steve), and shared your lives with us during this struggle. You have all been such a blessing, and we needed you. I remember one Sunday in particular, I think it was in February, when Steve and I stayed around after church for no particular reason other than to let the boys play for a while with their friends. When we stepped out of the building and headed into the parking lot, a couple came rushing over to us. They had been pulling out of the parking lot, saw me,and mentioned to each other how they both meant to talk to me that day, and hadn't gotten a chance to. It had been another hard Sunday for me and I was feeling particularly lost and vulnerable that day. The couple turned around, got out of their car, and quickly made their way to me, to tell me that it would be okay, I would sing again, and it was just going to take time. I stood there and wept - again - and clung to their every word. They couldn't have known how much I needed to hear that, or how much I would cling to that memory in the weeks to come, or how much I loved them for it and still thank God for their tender hearts and willingness to turn that car around and come see me. Thank you!!! Life, of course, continues beyond my own personal battles, and we are moving forward in a lot of other areas. Tyler is playing soccer; Trevor is preparing for the world quiz in Indianapolis this summer, and Trenton continues turning things upsidedown every chance he gets, so no one sits still for long! And on the adoption front, we are excitedly planning what we hope will be a watershed moment for our family - a community rummage sale on June 1! We have been blessed and overwhelmed with the support we've received from people who have offered to help us with this venture. Truth be told, we're in over our heads, and without the help of a lot of volunteers, we'll never pull it off! We are asking for donations of gently used items (no clothes), and for volunteers to help in a variety of ways. If you're an expert yard seller and you want to help, or if you have stuff you want to get rid of, contact me, and be prepared for tears of joy. Crying is evidently my new hobby! :) The boys are pitching in too for this one, with a clean and supervised lemonade stand! They'll be selling cookies and brownies, and doing what they can to raise money to bring home their little sister. This is their journey too, after all, so they're doing what they can to help. Another round of thank yous is in order for those who have already graciously volunteered to help in several key rolls. I have someone who is helping with on-line promotion (for which I am immensely grateful since that's not my skill set at all), another person who has offered to help with receiving deliveries and storage, some expert advisors, and pricers, and we've begun receiving donations. We actually look like we know what we're doing!!!! There is still much to be done, and we continue to pray for wisdom as we move forward with grateful hearts and look forward to all that is in store for June 1! If you would be so kind, say a prayer for us, and spread the word! Thanks one more time! I have been meaning to write this post for several days, but the timing hasn't been quite right. Life has many ups and downs, and it is only fitting that I submit to you this praise report to follow up to the many posts where I openly struggled. "Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name! Make His praise glorious!" "Give thanks to the Lord. His love endures forever!"