Hello Dear Readers!
I am writing to you with a full heart after enjoying a
lovely Thanksgiving holiday with Todd, our children, their spouses, and our
grandchildren. I always love the time we are able to share together - all of us
in the same room together, since we live hundreds of miles apart. We take turns
hosting, but this time we gathered at our daughter, Megan’s, home. She and her
husband, Joe, and their two kids, Jacob and Annie, opened their home to all of
us, and put out a beautiful Thanksgiving spread. Since it rained all day, we
had no choice but to put on our “comfy pants,” light a fire in the fireplace,
watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, along with a football game (or three), and feast. We had a really nice day together, as a family.
Our son, Tony, and his wife, Lesleigh, along with their son,
Theo, had to leave the gathering early on Friday morning. They needed to drive
back to Nashville (a nine-plus hour trip from Tulsa ) so that Tony could
report to the airport by noon on Saturday. For those of you who don’t know, “Tony
Memmel and his Band” were invited to journey to Saudi Arabia on an Arts Envoy tour,
which is in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State and its embassies and
consulates. There, they will be meeting local youth and working in the differently-/disabled
community. They are feeling joy-filled and thankful to have received the
invitation, and couldn’t wait to represent our country as cultural ambassadors.
They’ll be posting and sharing about their journey and all of the people they
meet, on his website at: www.tonymemmel.com
. Please be sure to check for his
updated blog posts regularly.
I’ve openly discussed how worried I became, almost
immediately. As a brand new mom of 24 years old, thoughts raced through my
mind; thoughts that placed Tony far into his future. Would he ever crawl, play
sports or music, have friends or be bullied, ever find love or get married?
Yes, before he had a name on his birth certificate I’d negatively plotted out
his entire life. Later that day, in my hospital room, I prayed to God to watch
over our family, and our brand new baby son.
When I got home from the hospital, our pastor called, and
asked if he could stop by for a visit. I didn’t want him to. Todd and I were
not the “type of people” (whatever that means) who felt we needed counsel. Tony
had been born without his forearm; we’d figure this out. But the pastor was so
kind, and I figured his visit couldn’t hurt, and might even help. I finally
consented that he could come.
That afternoon, he and I had a life-changing conversation.
After listening to all of my initial worries about the things I feared Tony may
never do, my pastor said to me, “Kate, God often takes what the world considers
weakness, and turns it into strength.” Wow, I had never considered that God
might use Tony’s arm for His greater good. Was it true? All I knew was that
since Tony was only a week old, with God’s heavenly help, Todd and I had some important
earthly work to do ourselves; we somehow needed to raise a strong, confident,
independent young man.
My book spells out a number of struggles we faced, as well
as so many joys along life’s way. As a fearful young mother, I had to learn to
put any negative thoughts on the back burner, and focus on the job ahead. I
still had sad feelings sometimes, but couldn’t let them win. The stronger I
became, the stronger Tony became. By listening to Todd and me answer questions
for him, he learned his own answers, and soon became his own spokesperson. Since
he is now a traveling musician who shares his story publicly around the country
and around the world, these were excellent skills for him to pick up!
And so, when I think about Tony’s birthday, (he was actually
born on a Tuesday, too!) and all of the initial frightened thoughts I
experienced as a young mom… and then I think about how he’s in Saudi Arabia
today, speaking and playing music for those in the differently- and disabled communities
of that country, I think about my pastor’s words to me. I can boldly say that I
do believe God has used Tony’s arm for His greater good. I do believe God took
what the world (and what even I) considered weakness, and turned it into great
strength!
I know I’ve shared this before, but it pertains once again.
One of my favorite passages in scripture is Romans 8:28 (NIV). It
says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Amen to that.
Happy Birthday, Tony!
