A TRIBUTE to MY SON Stephen on his 31st, birthday! Tomorrow is my sons 31st birthday. I remember the day clearly that he was born, just like it was yesterday. The air had a sting, and even the snow shivered that night in December, in Vicenza, Italy. Thank you,Tamara Wass for taking care of Seabren so we could labor without worry. Stephen David Reeves was born weighing in at 6 lbs 13 ounces, 19 inches long, and was a joy then, and still is a joy each and every day that I am blessed to call him, MY SON! My husband Pat, (Stephens father) slept in the car that night, because the hospital wouldnt let him stay in the room with me, after Stephen was born at 3:00 a.m. We were in the Air Force, and there were no rooms available, no hotels, no guest quarters. The doctor let us pack up, and leave early, (we werent even there a day) so we could bring Stephen home, and brave the freezing rain, (with a broken windshield wiper) to make the 2-hour road trip home, to Aviano. And we became a little family in our tiny apartment, that we heated with one kerosene heater, and although there wasnt much money, there was a tremendous amount of love. My husband was fiercely protective of Stephen, and so was I, a father Lion, and a mother Lioness.There were several times that we both ROARED, if somebody even looked at him cross-eyed. We went up against teachers, and coaches, and even other children if somebody did wrong by our son, but we always expected him to do right to others as well, and he always did, and still does, living his life for Christ. From the moment we brought Stephen home, from the second he entered our lives, he was, and always has been an amazing person, with a true heart for God. He and his brother, were best friends from the get go. And wherever Seabren was, Stephen was sure to be there beside him. The day Seabren decided to take off his training wheels, (at the age of 4) Stephen (age 3) took his off too. And off they went, riding their shiny red bicycles (together) down the side walk, in Ellsworth South Dakota. We used to take the kids to the mall in South Dakota, and wed buy popcorn, and walk around, and get free samples at Hickory Farms, and once Stephen slipped away from us at the mall, and we searched for him, in a state of panic, until we heard the woman announce over the loud speaker, Mr. and Mrs. Reeves, can you come and get your son at Hickory Farms! We sprinted to the store, and there was Stephen, sitting on the stool, eating crackers and cheese, charming the staff with his beautiful smile and pure heart. When Stephen was four, he was hit by a car, (Thank you Mary Stenkamp for taking care of Seabren, and thank you, @Melody Potter, for taking care of Stephanie,) so that we could sit beside Stephen and pray for him. And 30 hours after he was hit by that car, and in a coma, all of the churches in our area prayed for him, and all of the pastors that were at a pastors convention all across the country prayed for him, and we anointed his head with oil, (the doctors had prepared us, and talked to us about organ donation.) I only saw his father cry, (less then a handful of times) in the 12-years we were married, and this was one of those instances. We were heartbroken, and scared, but 30-hours after he was hit, he opened his eyes, and told us he had died and seen Jesus, and he asked for bubble gum. When the lady that hit him came in to see him, Stephen got up, walked over and hugged her. That is MY STEPHEN, a boy, a man, with a heart filled with forgiveness. Stephen and Seabren shared a room, (bunk beds) when we lived in West Orange, New Jersey, and they would steady the winter snow sled at the top of the stairs, and sled down the stairs together into their closet, gut belly laughing, like brothers and best friends often do. They sneaked out of the house one night, and I wondered, perplexed, why the back door was ajar in the morning, and it was Stephen who told me why. We went outside, and walked around next door, to see the pretty lights. When we moved back to Maine, and lived in West Baldwin, Seabren and Stephen had great fun zipping Stephanie up in the duffle bag and hanging the bag with Stephanie inside on the bed posts, and they played together, and were best buds, the three of them, drinking hot cocoa, having tea parties, and eating No-bake cookies on cold winter days. They played laser tag in the woods out back, and fished on Sundays with their father when he came home from a business trip. Stephen has been a son that every mother would be proud to have, one with a heart of gold, always thinking about others, always loving his parents, and his dad that came into our lives after his father died. As the moon hovered over his window in Cornish, we could always count on hearing Stephen say, Love you mom, love you dad, love you Seab, love you Stef. And we would all answer back, Love you too Stephen. And then he would repeat it a few more times, before he closed his eyes and went to sleep. It was a glorious time in our lives. When Stacie came into our world, she became a gift to all of us. It was like having 2 parents and three full time nannies to help raise her. Stephen would come home from basketball, and lay on the floor beside her, and talk to her, and love her, and look at her, and NOW HE is fiercely protective of her. To others he may be STEVE but to me, he is, and always will be, MY STEPHEN! I would love to watch him play basketball again, to scold him for tapping on the doorway, TAP! TAP as he runs underneath it, to undo any and all wrongs that I did, and enjoy every moment of watching him jump on the trampoline in the rain with his siblings. It went fast, TOO FAST! Stephen has always had a heart for God, and even more so after that. He has been a son that has never given any of us even one bit of trouble, he knew right from wrong, and he chose to do right, he thought and thinks about everyone else, and he works hard. He is honest, and loving, and caring and giving. An amazing father to his daughter and to his son, and he is a self-less, thoughtful, loving husband to his wife Courtney. Stephen has incredible faith, and still listens to God, and seeks Him and answers for his life, daily. Yes, tomorrow is my son Stephens 31st birthday, I am proud and honored to be his mother. He is a true treasure to all that know him and love him, but most especially to me, his father, and his dad. Happy Birthday, son. We LOVE YOU! And we are proud of you and the man that you have become!
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:38:58 +0000
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