Happy Birthday, Josiah!
Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Wednesday, November 18, 2009 12:15 PM
Dear Josiah,
Happy first birthday to the best grandson in the whole world! That’s not just bragging. That’s a fact. I always knew being a grandpa would be great, but I never dreamed how amazing my grandson would be. Has there ever been another one-year-old who would crawl up in his grandpa’s lap just to watch a football game on television? It was just too good to be true that your first words were “hut-hut’. 
So, I’m pretty thrilled about how this first year has turned out, even though it started out filled with fear for your whole family. You looked so perfectly healthy when you came into this world, then the doctors said you were going to need serious surgery immediately. You were the trooper you always have been. They literally reached inside you and took everything out and laid it on a table to fix what was broken. For one whole month you had tubes all over you and were isolated from us in that intensive care room. But you were so tough. You made it through.
Then, they told us you had cystic fibrosis. I didn’t know exactly what that was, but it sounded scary. And, it was even scarier when I started reading about it. There is no cure for it and the prognosis is pretty discouraging. But, thank God for all the doctors and medications that have kept you very healthy and very happy during your first year.
One thing that I never expected when I became a grandpa, was how much you were going to teach me. But God has used you to teach this old dog plenty of new ways of looking at things. 
You’ve taught me, once again, how pure real love is. It’s something that we all need to be reminded of, and your crinkled-up face when you give me your biggest smile does that for me. Like your Uncle Matt said, we needed you to keep us all from becoming “bitter intellectuals”.
You’ve taught me what great people your Mommy and Daddy are. I thought I knew that already but I really didn’t. I knew that I loved them and that they were fun and smart, and that I was glad they were part of my family. But I had never seen the real beauty of the grace and peace that is within them. Day by day, they walk through the whole ordeal of your illness. They don’t complain about the hours and hours that breathing treatments and therapies and doctors appointments require of them. They don’t fret over the huge expenses of special medications and specialists’ fees. They work diligently to find the balance of keeping you healthy and yet, not overprotecting you. They’re joyful, knowing that difficult times might be ahead. All the while, they do above and beyond what’s expected of them as they reach out to teach and love teenagers in their work. You are blessed that you belong to them, and I’m blessed that they are my daughter and son-in-law.
Most importantly, Josiah, you’ve taught me how God wants me to live my life. I was so frightened when the doctor spoke those words, “cystic fibrosis”. Every negative thought immediately flooded my mind. But then God stepped in and spoke so calmly to me, “You’ll live through this day by day.” It’s true that we don’t have any promise that tomorrow you’ll be with us. But God reminded me that that’s not just true about you, but everyone. We’re all just day-to-day here on this earth, so we love God and each other as if this day is our last.
“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:33-34 The Message)
I live this day believing that God will bring healing to your life – praying for the doctors and scientists that are searching for a cure, and depending on the miraculous power of God to touch you. But I live it knowing that with you and with everyone else, every moment I must love wholeheartedly, without expectations or keeping score. I can’t allow worry or concern about what the future might hold to crowd out “right now”. 
So I love every single moment that I get to spend with you, Little Man. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am for you and how much I love you. So let’s celebrate this first year as big as we can – with football and loud music and funny faces and monkeys and Veggie Tales and everything else you love. Happy birthday to the greatest grandson that’s ever lived!
I love you so much!
G-Diddy
