The Goodsell Family

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” -Psalm 18:2

October 7th is a day I’ll never forget. I woke up from my 8th kidney stone surgery to being told that a total of 45 stones had been removed off my kidneys between this procedure and the one a week prior. The surgeries were successful, however this was not the end. I had hoped it would be.

October 7th was the day I was diagnosed with a kidney disease. It was a hard day for our family, but we were thankful to have my family and friends right by our side that day. It’s a rare disease that literally produces more and more kidney stones over time, and gradually lessens the kidney’s overall function over time. We had prayed for answers for years, and here it was. Of all the news I thought I’d hear, I never expected that. Something unpreventable, possibly genetic, and something untreatable.

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November 20, 2013 was the first time I hung out with “the guy from work.” We watched Elf and he brought me peanut butter M&Ms. I had no idea he would be my future husband, but I knew he was nice, a good listener, wise, and he loved the Lord. He thought my jokes were funny and he was a huge fan of Christmas (and all my lights, decorations, and Christmas headbands at the time).

We laugh now at the number of friends and family who asked, “Isn’t he more than a friend, Christine?” “Nope. Nice guy as a friend, and he can bring all the peanut butter M&Ms in the world, but he’s not getting near me!” (My naive response at the time).

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Dear little son—today was a special day. Do you know why? It was completely unplanned. There were moments that just happened at the perfect time. They involved you and they involved music, and few things could be better. 

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No one tells you how hard the emotions hit when you have kids. Or how intense they are on all the milestone days, other than birthdays. I’ll never forget our five days in the NICU, our doctors, nurses, and hearing, “Your 5 lb baby is the strongest one here now. You’re going home today.” 

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As a child, the first type of tree I was introduced to was a Pin Oak tree. I remember Dad talking about trees and seeing the Pin Oak trees that he and Grandpa planted. The tree in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard was the biggest I had ever seen in my life; it held up the almighty tire swing, where fears were experienced and conquered but adventures were had. Trees have always been a great fascination to me. Maybe it was because I could see the pure joy it brought my Dad and Grandpa, and maybe I thought trees just seemed so majestic; either way, I love trees.

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