HE'S ALIVE! THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE...

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We are now in the part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount when He tells His disciples that by living the THE BLESSED LIFE via the "Be-attitudes" they will be LIGHT and SALT. In fact, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD tells His disciples that this is the way that they become the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

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Once Cristi Schwamb realized what our topic would be this week, she emailed me. I, in turn, asked her if I could share with you today. As many of you know, Cristi is a dear sister in Christ who is the mother of a 3 year old daughter, Lauren, who is in her third month of awaiting a heart transplant at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I have found that in the 3 months that I have known them, Cristi and her husband, Tim, have been remarkable LIGHT to me!

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There is so much to this story that people don't know. A few things that this family has experienced over the last few years include:

• Lauren's 21 hospital stays
• Tim's job at the Pentagon that includes travel (even overseas)...This week he needed to be in Colorado.
• Tim's parents from Arkansas and Cristi's parents from Georgia who have dropped everything to be there to help raise and homeschool the other two children, supporting Tim and Cristi in a myriad of ways
• Tim's part in the music ministry at their home church in Fairfax, VA
• Their need to find a new home to lease and move out of where they are living and into a different home in May (Tim has had to do all the house hunting).
• There's much more that would send many of us into a tizzy...

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How does a mother who is seperated from her husband and other two children for three months keep her faith? Wouldn't it be easy to give in to the voice that says that this is all God's fault? How does she continue to be a transformed mom? How does she keep her focus? It certainly starts by her knowing what life is about and staying plugged in to that life. Cristi "gets it"! She also understands the concept of learning from the innocent hearts of children. So, as Cristi and Lauren share the tight quarters of a hospital room, Cristi sleeps on a little couch in the room at night. She watches Lauren hooked up to all kinda of tubes by day. Cristi teaches Lauren and Lauren teaches Cristi. Jesus teaches Lauren and Cristi.

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Here is a compilation of some of Cristi's notes from the past week and pics from over the last year:

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"Patti,

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When I saw your blog posts this week about being a light, I couldn’t help but think of Lauren’s favorite song – This Little Light of Mine. It’s actually a great story about how she came to love the song.

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When she broke her arm last summer, a musician came through the CICU the day she had surgery. I don’t think she was awake enough to remember anything he sang, but he left a CD that I played in the car for her on the way back to DC. Over the months that followed, This Little Light of Mine off of that CD became the most-requested song in our van. Now that we’re back at the hospital, Lauren gets to hear Woody sing almost every week and she always requests This Little Light of Mine. We often smile in the playroom because her world stands still if she even hears the song on the CD player. She’ll stop whatever she’s doing and concentrate on holding up her light and letting it shine through the entire song. (It’s a lot like the way children on a military base learn to stop playing and stand at attention every afternoon when they play The Star Spangled Banner over the loudspeakers.)

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Anyway, I thought you’d be interested in hearing (the song and) some of the additional verses in Woody’s version of This Little Light of Mine:

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1. This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, gonna let this little light shine.

2. Hide it under a bushel, no, I’m gonna let it shine...

3. Shout it from the mountaintops, I’m gonna let it shine...

4. Won’t let the devil put it out, I’m gonna let it shine...

5. On the brightest day and the darkest night, I’m gonna let it shine...

6. Away from home or in my house, I’m gonna let it shine...

7. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine...

8. Now take the light God’s given you, go and let it shine...
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Those are all the verses on the first CD that we got. I think he sings a verse “Wherever life may take me, I’m gonna let it shine.” I just put in one of the other CDs and found the other verses:
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Early in the morning, I’m gonna let it shine
Later in the evening, I’m gonna let it shine
In the nighttime hours, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
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When I’m in the city, I’m gonna let it shine
When I’m in the country, I’m gonna let it shine
Wherever life may take me, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
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My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
My brothers and my sisters, I’m gonna help them shine
Help ‘em shine, help ‘em shine, help ‘em shine.

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He always ends by singing the last line, “Gonna let my little light shine”, really slowly. I can’t help but think of how Lauren’s letting her little light shine here on the sixth floor and for all of our friends around the world...

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“On the brightest day and the darkest night,

I’m going to let it shine.”

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“Take the light God’s given you,

go and let it shine.”

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And, of course, I couldn’t help but send you a couple of cute pictures of a three-year-old who takes her light-shining duties quite seriously.

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Have a blessed day!
Cristi"

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PATTI'S NOTE: Click on any pic or Tim's name for applicable links! Anyday, you can click on the right sidebar link to get updates on Lauren and her family.

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