Month: June 2019

After a long battle with a variety of physical challenges, my uncle, Kenneth Leon Williams, died on June 3, 2019 at the age of 69 in his hometown of Parkersburg, WV. He’s the one on the far right in the photo above. That’s my dad, Uncle Russell,  Uncle Bill, and Uncle Kenny from left to right–four of eight siblings in my dad’s family.

I’ll cherish a number of memories of Uncle Kenny. From when I was a kid,  I remember  him inviting me and Dad over to show off his new weed whacker shortly after its purchase. But more vividly than any other memory, I remember Uncle Kenny riding his bicycles (with a bright orange safety flag on display) over to our house for a quick visit.  He would regularly make his way through town on his bicycle for as long as he was able, and he would always make it a point to stop and visit with family as he went on his rides.

As he got older my memories of him shifted from witnessing him on his bike to witnessing him visit hospitals multiple times in Morgantown, WV,  both to fight cancer and recover from a broken neck. When I was home in Parkersburg, I would regularly see him at 19th St Church of God with my Uncle Russell and Aunt Flora. Any time I was around him, regardless of his situation, he was almost always smiling and making space for a little humor.

And, during the times I was in town and didn’t see him, I remember him phoning his brothers and joking with each of them, leaving long voice messages reasoning out every possibility of where they could be if they were unable to answer.

As I think about Kenny now in glory with His King, I’m grateful for all of the little moments of laughter he shared with family throughout his 69 years on this earth. While circumstances prevented me from joining family and friends who gathered for his funeral, I’m grateful for the fact that Uncle Kenny demonstrated joy in the simple things to everyone with whom he came in contact.

His parting is also a sober reminder to me, that our life is a vapor. May we each savor every moment we’ve been given to its fullest, and may we live our lives as a sign, a foretaste, and an instrument of a Kingdom that will have no end, where goodness, joy, and love reign, and where there will no longer be a need for tears of sadness.

On June 5^th, at 1452 EDT (2:52PM) our wonderful son, Simon Charles, entered the world wide-eyed and alert. He weighed in at a whopping nine pounds and one ounce, and was twenty-three and three quarters inches long. He is handsome, and we are completely thrilled to meet him. I feel like we have once again been sharing tears of joy and big smiles with this little miracle from the moment we first laid eyes on him.

I say miracle for a couple of reasons. Foremost in my mind is that any time we witness a new life coming into the world, there is definitely something miraculous about it. I mean, this new life has been growing for the past nine months in his mother’s womb, moving and listening, complete with hiccups and kicks. Watching a child emerge into this world is just such a joy-filled experience. We witness before us future hopes and the potential making of a better world. That’s the first reason for my use of the word miracle.

The second reason I use the word miracle is because there are no guarantees that every family will have children by natural childbirth. We have many friends (many aunts and uncles for Sylvia and Simon) who just have not been able to do so. In our case, we had a second layer of uncertainty with regard to our prospects because Jamie has had a health condition, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), that led to an irregularity with her menstrual cycle, and also contributed to an inability to have a menstrual cycle without taking estrogen. Through a combination of prayer, exercise, healthy food choices, and rest, Jamie was able to start to have a menstrual cycle, and now, we hae been blessed to be stewards of two small miracles.

Simon has been full of energy from the moment he left the womb. His mouth quickly made its way to his mother’s breast, and he’s been quickly adjusting to this world. He’s alert and just soaking in this amazing world around him, something we all could do a little more of to be honest.

And Jamie, she is such an incredible warrior! She went through the whole process of labor once more with this resolute focus and calm that is truly a gift to witness. I want to be as calm and focused when big challenges come my way. I know many people compare giving birth to running a marathon, but, as an outside observer who has done one and will never do the other, the consistent thread I’ve witnessed in Jamie’s life is this. Each of us are capable of far more than we realize, and as I’ve watched Jamie deliver two children and run five marathons, I’m witnessing such a beautiful strength and deep awareness emerge from within her. These last few hours watching her confidently nurse Simon, hold him, and nurture are an additional gift as we enjoy these early moments of Simon’s life together.

And as I pray for my son and his journey on this earth, I pray that God will awaken the same deep understanding of what is possible for him, and that He will guide me and Jamie with the wisdom and discipline to nurture the development of his gifts and possibilities.

Jamie and I are filled with gratitude for this entire journey we have together with our growing family. We are thankful for the prayers and support of so many friends—they have truly sustained us, and we know that those prayers are also a gift. May our son be blessed with a deep awareness of how loved and capable he is.

Just like his older sister, Simon is beginning a life that, God willing, will see him grow to be a compassionate servant leader, a faithful steward of resources, and a caring and considerate follower of the way of Jesus. Over these last few months, we have been praying often for him to know God and bring glory to His name, that he would go so much farther than we have in our own faith journeys, and that others would be blessed through the life he leads.

May we each faithfully and graciously walk together in the path that Love has set before us, and may we be wise stewards of all of the wonder He has entrusted to us.