Yes, that's how he used to sign his cards to me as a young boy - your loving son, Ray:) Over the years he acquired new nicknames, but this remains one of my favorites.
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....Perfect stranger in the grocery store, asking 3 year old Ray where he got his beautiful eyes from (huge and blue with stiletto length thick eyelashes......and Ray looks up innocently and gives what he believes to be an obvious answer..." From God!"
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Our son Ray is 29 today. I can't help but wax reminiscent just the teensiest bit:) I remember very clearly the day he was born. Actually, it was the day before that I would like to mention. Maybe I should give you one more small detail first. A year or so before, I had a previous minor operation and had to be put under general anesthetic. For hours they had me parked by the nurse's station and went about their business, while I lay semi-comatose, able to hear what was happening around me but unable to move or wake up properly. Needless to say it freaked me out just a little. Also my first caesarean section birth was not a smooth one, so I really wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance.
On this sunny day in July, I stood in the parking lot, glued to my husband, rather frightened to go into the hospital. The birth was scheduled for the following morning so they wanted to prep me the night before. This baby was someone I had been praying for, lovingly talking and singing and even reading through my belly to, and dreaming of his/her future for nine months! But for a moment or two I had a frozen fear spasm. After some reassuring man logic (which I can't remember verbatim right now, but I am sure it was something comforting, like 'Jesus is with you, and I'm leaving soon for night shift so let's keep moving towards the door here), I realized my anticipation and excitement to meet this little soul was bigger than my fear of whatever might happen. ( As a sidebar here, I am happy to report that after 32 years my husband is speaking my language much more fluently! I on the other hand could still use a bit of work. You know how the first few years can be, where you are madly in love but when it comes to expressing yourself, it's like talking to someone from a foreign country lol. So you just keep speaking your own language, saying it Louder and more pronounced, like that is going to help!)
Turns out, he was by far my easiest birth:) We had his first name chosen before he was born, named after our good friend Raymond Gould...but we took a couple of days to settle on a second name. I wanted to honour my brothers but we decided if we did that, then we should honour Peter's brothers too, so, counting his dad`s name in there, the kid would end up with the potential of a mere nine middle names. (I see we got over this with the next one and just went ahead and named him after Uncle Jim). The name Raymond means Advisor/Wise Protector and I am amazed at how well this fits him!
Ray was a happy, complacent, beautiful baby,an inquisitive fun loving toddler, a youth with an a very rare and hilarious sense of humour, a moody teenager (well come on, I couldn't paint him too perfectly!), and now is a young man that I am so proud of, that I have to harness myself sometimes when I am sharing things about him to others. I think if I comment loudly one more time on the absolutely fabulous lighting design at our local airport...:)
Every child is so different. Apparently you don't just follow the same recipe and your cookies all turn out the same. For this I am thankful! Variety has been the spice of life in our household. I was thinking about Ray as a young boy, and how he was determined to become an engineer, and I think by the end of Grade 9 or so, he was pretty settled on Electrical Engineering.
He has the famous musical talent on both sides, and this has also extended into the technical side of things, where he can actually build musical equipment like amps and stuff. I love it:)
It's so reassuring to know I'll always be a mommy:)
The Lord has used him in my life more than once to heal some deep places in my heart. As a matter of fact, this is actually true of all of my children in some way or another. I love how the Lord allowed me to grow up with my kids!
Proverbs 3:1-10
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Ray, when I read these scriptures it really reminded me of you, and I could see that in these areas you are already well on your way to following this good advice! You are more than a good son, you are my precious treasure! And I'm so glad you're MY loving son:)
all my love,
Mommy
ps. I know I'm going to have to edit this post again, as it annoys me no end not to have an actual baby picture on here...
That's all I can say. It was the day after we got home from Patrick & Tamara's house a couple of weeks ago, and still hadn't had time to grocery shop, so I was rummaging around trying to find something palatable that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and eat. (Or, even better, food that will go on the bbq so that I don't have to really cook at all!) Peter found a steak in the bottom of the freezer (perfect!) and I was checking out the bag of new potatoes I had just purchased the week before. I have a small bin in the cupboard so I reached down into the bag and pulled out a couple of small potatoes...good, they were still firm with minimal eyes on them. I went for a couple more and ewww! I stuck my fingers right into the mushy rotten part of a potato. 
A fabulous dad..
and a pretty great son:)
