Lord, please watch my child today,
And let him know your here,
Give him strength so he can fight,
And calm his every fear.
Wrap your arms around him,
The way I wish I could,
Remind him just how much he’s loved,
Remind him life is good.
I feel so very helpless,
Not sure what I can do,
I cannot even comprehend,
The things that he’s been through,
Give me strength to fight for him,
And help me understand…
Help me to accept your will…
No matter what the plan.
Lord, I know you’ll answer me,
And yes, I know you care,
Thanks again for hearing,
One father’s heartfelt prayer.

If someone stopped to ask him,
Are things going alright?
He’d feel no need to mention,
He didn’t sleep all night.
If we were given just a glimpse…
If we could see in part…
What thoughts and hopes are there to find
Within this father’s heart?

A father’s perspective….

My child has a heart defect,
Its “my job” to be strong,
And tell my wife things will be fine,
(And pray that I’m not wrong)
And still the bills need to get paid,
And things need to be done,
And it’s so hard just sitting here,
“I want to hold my son!”
I lean down as I watch him breathe,
“Keep fighting”, is my plea,
“I thought I’d teach you to be brave,
“But son, you have taught me”.
I hear the beeping of machines,
(They help my child live)
I wish that I could take his place,
(There’s nothing that I wouldn’t give!)
To have the faith and strength I need,
To hold back all my tears,
To say I know he’ll be okay,
Despite all of my fears.
I”ll only lose composure,
When no one’s here to see,
I will be the “strong” one,
As I’m supposed to be.
A daddy says,” Come to my arms,
I’ll chase all those monster’s away”,
I cannot change God’s plan for him,
But I can hope and pray.

A daddy needs to cry sometimes,
And God must see right through,
That ” tough daddy exterior”,
For He’s a daddy too.

~Stephanie Husted

To my son,

I write this as I wonder,
Will you ask someday?
Why do I have this scar mom?
Did God make me this way?
What will happen to me?
What does my future hold?
Will I hold my own children?
Then live until I’m old?
I think about your future,
Imagining what lies ahead,
Perhaps I need to concentrate,
On present things instead.

The present:

Right now you are enjoying life,
A typical mischievious boy,
You make us laugh…yes everyday,
And fill our hearts with joy.
And people often ask me,
So he’s all better right?
His heart is fixed, he seems just fine,
His future’s looking bright.
Yes, “He’s doing well”, I say,
I hope things stay this way,
I still fear for his future,
And every night I pray…
“Give me yet another day,
Keep my child strong,
I do not want to lose him Lord,
Please let his life be long.

Thank you…

Thank you Lord, for showing me,
What just one child can do,
I marvel at his courage,
And the trials he’s been through,
Thanks for your compassion
(And need I say it?…grace)
You’ve led me through each valley,
And you’ve brought me to this place.
A place where I’m not angry,
And it’s easier to see,
That I was not the person,
That you wanted me to be.
Thank you for the trials Lord,
They’ve taught me how to give,
Thank you for my child Lord,
He’s shown me how to live.

Did God make you this way?

I’ve asked myself this question,
A thousand times before,
Then it became a question that,
I just could not ignore.
God, He made you perfect,
Bestowing you with gifts to share,
God made you with his own hands,
Then numbered every hair.
He saw no imperfection,
Or heart…all rearranged,
He saw you…his well loved child,
And then he saw…lives changed.

The future…

The future is no place to live,
And neither is the past,
The present should be cherished,
As it truly goes too fast,
I don’t know what your future holds,
Or what we’ll have to face,
I know who holds us through each storm,
I know we lean on grace.
I know that life’s not always fair,
I know God has a plan,
I know He gives us strength and hope,
I know, he says…”You can”.

I write this as I wonder,
Will you ask me why?
Will you someday understand,
Just why we had to try?
Know, how very much your loved,
(Through every storm and strife)
Know, I wanted you to have,
A chance… to live your life.

~Stephanie Husted