Birth || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six
Dear Charlie Bear,
Seven. Close to double digits. The realization that SEVEN years ago, I anticipated your arrival in blistering cold temperatures. That after countless hours of labor, you finally graced us with your presence just before the day turned over to the 16th. You don’t know how many countless prayers you answered. How deeply loved and wanted you were before you ever even entered this world! I remember that day like it was yesterday and yet somehow, it has been SEVEN years.
You exude a light that is so infectious. Sweet, kind, gentle, caring – just a few of the ways that others describe you. You are sensitive by nature and care deeply about how others are feeling. You have insisted that you won’t turn seven because I asked you not to grow up and if you could have a pet cat tomorrow, you would.
You love animals, books, art supplies, and creating. You love playing Mario Maker on the WiiU – not because you like to play the levels, but because you like to create them – making each one harder than the next. You love fruits and vegetables and your favorite go-to sandwich is one stuffed with veggies from Subway.
Each night, you snuggle in with at least five blankets and animals all around you. You’ve recently opted not to wear pajamas and I’m sure there’s a correlation in there somewhere. You are kind to everyone you meet. You are inclusive and loving and uniquely Y-O-U. You love everything from butterflies to Skylander battles to sparkles and sprinkles. You have found a second home in the ice rink and your face lights up at the possibilities that await you there.
You don’t love being alone and you would prefer that your “brave” brother accompany you to the dark rooms to turn on the lights. May you always work hard to shine your light in the darkness. You will always be my first baby – the angel that made me a mother.
May SEVEN be the best year of your life yet!
Love,
Mommy
I’ve told this story many times before, but I will tell it again in honor of our first grandchild’s 7th birthday. January 15, 2009 was probably one of the coldest days that I can remember. I am pretty old too. There are rumors that I just recently turned 110 years old to be very honest. Anyway, we got the call that our first grandbaby was on his way to coming into this world and we jumped into our very cold car and proceeded to drive slowly down Southwest Highway to Palos Hospital. It’s not that we didn’t want to get there as quickly as possible, but the air was so cold the poor car couldn’t go any faster than the speed limit. It had been in the garage all night and we had warmed it up too! It was arctic cold that day.
When we got to the hospital it was pretty obvious that poor Mama Samantha had been laboring without the benefit of drugs for a while and really needed a rest. The medical staff had determined that in spite of all her hard work, things weren’t proceeding as they ought to. Eventually, the doctors, Samantha and Jim had decided that the safest thing for all concerned was to deliver the baby via C-section. Jim Sr. and I sat out in the waiting room with the rest of the family. I had been deep in jumbled thoughts and prayers as I always am in times of anxiety. The television in the waiting room was on and there was a major news event going on. It just so happened that a jet airliner had landed in the Hudson River in New York. A flock of birds had flown into its engines forcing the plane to make an emergency landing into the frozen river. As the story unfolded, it was truly a miracle landing, and Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger would become a household name. As I watched the miracle unfold it somehow eased my anxieties about what was going on in the operating room. If Captain Sullenberger could land a gigantic jet safely on the Hudson River our daughter in law and grandbaby would come through this safely too. It was like God was giving me His personal assurance. After what seemed like days to me, our son came out to announce the birth of Charles Aiden Schultz. Mama and Baby Boy were doing well. Daddy was beaming from ear to ear. He showed us a picture of our grandson on his cell phone. It was amazing to me because I had never experienced a C-section and Samantha was in the picture with a big smile on her face as well. This was indeed a first in many respects for me.
Charlie is probably one of the sweetest children to have ever graced this earth. I am always amazed by his ability to remain true to himself. He doesn’t care about conventional notions. He loves butterflies and superheroes. He adores his Momma (his maternal grandmother) and his Poppy (his maternal grandfather). He has told me that his Daddy can do things that appear to be somewhat superhuman. He has a love for his Mommy that melts my heart. He’s not afraid to say that he loves his brother either. That is in spite of the fact that Jack can be somewhat domineering at times. I always find it very endearing when Jack tells me all of the things that his big brother can do. Those two boys love each other and I pray that they will never let anything or anyone tear them apart.
I love the fact that Charlie is extremely intelligent, yet he believes me when I tell him that I’m 109 years old. Charlie knows his maternal grandparents’ ages (they’re not vain), so he asked me how old I am. Since my Facebook page has my age as 109, I told him that was my age. He then told me that I’m a lot older than his Momma and Poppy. Yes indeed, I deserved that for not telling him the truth. He has no sense of sarcasm or unkindness in him at all. He is the forever optimist, and has stated that he would like to grow up to be a number of things at the same time. Honestly, if anyone can do that, it will be Charlie. I am also the realist who wants to protect him from the cold world. However, I don’t want him to ever change because he is the definition of what is good in this world. He embodies Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Oh how I love that little boy.