Josiah made a brief entrance in the 20th century--born December 30, 1999. I remember being worried about Y2K, having had complications with my previous delivery. My doctor reassured me, had me donate my own blood the month before, and then we had waited. Josiah came before the new year dawned and things went smoothly. We named him Josiah (meaning "fire of the LORD") Shawn (to honor Patrick's side of the family). I remember soon after telling a nurse what Josiah means and her responding that usually they turn out similar to the meaning of the name and I had better watch out!
Josiah has some fire in him! He is super agile and balanced (like his dad), likes to do extreme type sports (like his dad and Uncle Shawn), and has a sensitive side (like his mom). He is a peacemaker in our family and his humor tends to make heavy moments lighter.
It's been a special treat for his birthday these last years that he gets to spend it with his close buddy and their family.
May the Lord use this 13th year to mature him, to give him greater compassion and discipline, to build on the strengths that he already has. We sure love him.
We spent his birthday with our friends in another city. There were three families with a total of 6 adults and 13 children. This is an annual event at Christmastime, therefore Josiah reaps the benefits of a lively birthday!
When you have that many people, you just have to play "four on a couch!" Great fun!
