GRATITUDE! Praise Report: Outpouring of Support {Custody Battle Part 2}

So much can happen so quickly. On Thursday afternoon I posted the article of our family's current chapter in our story. There has literally been an outpouring of support in the aftermath of folks reading about the situation of our Son-in-law filing for divorce and his seeking full custody of the WonderPeeps. There have been tons of messages, calls, prayers, tweets, Scripture verses and texts in response. My head is spinning. Literally.

I gave 10 suggestions from a blogging perspective as to how you could help support us as we support our daughter. I think moving forward I will use my Saturday post here as an update and praise report. So much has happened since Thursday and I want to thank my friends, family, readers (and total strangers) for standing by us in our time of need. I want to let you know what has already happened in the face of my gut wrenching sharing.

It has also been brought to my attention that some clarification is in order, so more on that after lots of amazing developments. 

First: ALL of the good news that I can enumerate.

People have come out of the woodwork to show their support, even in these first hours of my announcement. 

• There is a certain genteel Southern, soon-to-be-returning-to-the-K-classroom teacher that has preemptively purchased a classroom SET of my hardbound "You're Wonderful" books to gift to EACH of her students that she will meet next fall. I know in her humility she would want to keep her identity a secret and so I will respect her wishes and just give a shout out of gratitude and be oh-so-grateful for her individual windfall of kindness. She's a class act with a deep faith. She's faced down plenty of muck in her time and she has been a sweet example to me on the circuit, by always taking the high road. Thank you. 

• This morning I opened an email from another anonymous teacher (one that I don't know personally) inquiring about a very parallel concept -- of giving a copy of my first book to each of her Kinders for their graduation this spring -- as that is their favorite book and song combo. Details as yet to be determined. That is a HUGE investment. I get that. So we have begun the conversation of seeking some grant funding to help her underwrite such a purchase. Others teachers in the past have drummed up $$ for my author visits and materials from a wide array of sources: everything from literacy grants to working with their local social service clubs [Lions, Elks, Sertoma, Future Teachers of America etc. I know Target offers early literacy grants.] Other schools have collaborated with their public library to secure my visit and materials, and yet others have been able to earmark some of their Title funding toward 'literacy-with-Debbie.' Sometimes I have learned after the fact that a "community angel" has stepped forward with funding for literacy and my materials. I'm grateful to help brainstorm possibilities. We will see over time if we can pull this one together. Where there's a will there is a way. All in divine timing.  

• There is the blogger that purchased four wobble chairs and has a plan to blog about them upon their arrival. More on that when it develops! 

• There are MANY people who ordered their favorite of my books and a couple who have requested the whole set and we're sorting out those details, to get them efficiently into their hands -- for blogging and gifting. With arrangements to be sorted out yet this weekend. 
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• Still others ordered beauty supplies from my new Younique account. Crazy cool mascara to the rescue! Look your best and support women-in-need in the process. Who'd a thunk it? [BTW: Literally the Y-corporation has a charity where they do just that.] 

• All in all in the first 24 hours since my request for help, there was a total infusion of $979 via direct sales of this variety of my various materials (and ordering YOUNIQUE beauty supplies.) This is the largest 'overnight' cyber infusion of new dollars in the nineteen year existence of my company. YEAH! Team! YEAH believers! 

In addition to this outpouring of response from my asking for help, there has been additional DIVINE timing. We just received the purchase order from Austin for my books that will be placed in EVERY elementary in their district! One week from today I will fly to them, then present a one day staff seminar. Over the following four days I will be visiting EVERY one of their elementary buildings making my author presentation 17 times! It seems to work out on an excel spreadsheet! This is my first EVER week long Artist residency. {Insert need for additional prayers/energy here.} This brainstorm has been 6 years in the making. Does it rock-your-faith-world that the time has arrived to connect the dots at this particular moment in time?  As an entrepreneurial artisan, it is all about cash-flow. YEAH HEAVEN! Divine timing indeed! 

One of the things I told you, is that just by visiting my blog, pinning/tweeting/sharing from here it brings me new readers. Since the introduction of the Smartfeed at Pinterest my stats have looked more like DUMB. I thought you'd be interested in what has happened to the first article since publication. And without any pin-worthy material. More readers = More Adsense dollars. Pure and simple. Thanks for sharing my blog with others you know. Choose a fave article in the sidebar to pin! The simplest way to support me, is to share my work. 

But WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL! More than AMAZING news and divine timing: 

• On Thursday afternoon I asked "YOU" to put on your thinking caps and help me drum up some new 'invitations' to present at schools and conferences. In barely over 24 hours, one of my most devout (and youngest) fanclub presidents did exactly that! She walked right in and recommended me to her boss for the KEYNOTE of their up and coming Space Coast Head Start Association's training. Allen (hubby) worked out the details by the end of business yesterday. I will stand in their spotlight on May 2nd of THIS spring! Divine timing indeed!!!!! Can I have an AMEN!!!!!! Thank you sweetie. You've always been there cheering me on. 

HOLD ON! THAT'S NOT ALL OF THE GOOD NEWS!!! {Spoiler alert: Grab a tissue}

This next piece of the puzzle literally brings me to my knees. There are no words. Or at least no adequate words that I can elicit. I received word from paypal that I had been gifted with a $1000 direct deposit to my account (which I didn't know that I had and still have yet to figure out how to access, but I have an 800 number to sort that out) are you ready for this? 

The ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS is in honor of all Stage 4 Breast Cancer Survivors. 

Did you just cry? A little bit? I had those big UGLY tears sobs.

Did you read what I typed? One of my fellow BCO {Breast Cancer dot org} sisters has sent ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH to me, in honor of her fellow Stage IV surviving sisters and in honor of Saint's memory and my support and friendship during her living and dying days. To say that I am humbled is the understatement of the year. To say that I am flat-out gobsmack steamrolled is somewhere at least in the vicinity.  

Here's a bit of her conversation to me, through my tears:

This IS huge and sometimes when we give a huge part of ourselves to another, like you did to Saint, the Lord sends something back to you. I love you dearly. The Lord sent this to you, not me.

The Lord gave us hearts to feel pain, without it we would be callous. Thank God for our tender hearts.

I give pretty good testimony about the 1/4 million women's tombstones I carry on my shoulders since Dx, and every year they increase, sometimes I thank the Lord for setting them there, lest I forget. If I think I do I pray for "grace", and He says, Not the grace prayer again, give yourself some credit". Then we both laugh because we both know Saint is sitting on one laughing at me!

The Lord is with you, pray to Him and thank Him for what He will do for your family whatever the outcome. Hey remember the heartbreak of finding out stage 4 was terminal, all the deaths, the fear for those we loved. You are in the beginning, this will pass, strength will come. Thank Him for the calm He will send, my church friend says my prayers are full of strength and faith, never asking for anything. So I just realized you are in my every prayer.

These are the types of people in my life. If you are a regular reader here, you would have seen the picture of this dear donor above in her wheelchair, wheeled into my Indiana college presentation last spring, when we met in person for the first time. She too would like to remain below the radar. I will respect her wishes. Those young college girls were in awe of the words and testimony she added between my songs and all of the afternoon's laughter we shared.

We have argued a bit about the depth of her generosity. She has pointed out that when you do indeed ASK, then you must in fact be willing to receive. So many lessons. So many tears. OK. Now take a breath. 

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This is at least a glimmer of all of the GOOD news that comes from honesty. I am especially grateful to read everyone's favorite scripture passage that has gotten you through tough times. I am adding to my collection for the hard times.

*Here are at least a baker's dozen earlier articles where I mention my gratitude to Scott for serving our country and my seeking prayers for his service and deployment: 

1. Scott to Iraq/Afghanistan 
2. Tall Daddy is Home!
3. Scott is deployed
4. Scott is deployed in Iraq
5. Scott deployed on his Birthday, which is Father's Day
6. Veteran's Day and Active Duty 
7. Scott returning from deployment and bringing Mettle 5 to WI for week's vacation
8. Gratitude for Scott's service with friend Nathan who passed away in accident
9. Memorial Day Tribute and gratitude for Scott's service and well-being 
10. Veteran's Day Tribute and gratitude to Scott for his service in Iraq
11. Praying for Scott's safe return from deployment and thanks for his service
12. Scott returning from Deployment: thanks and gratitude 
13. Daddy's in the Desert at Christmas  (the photo-shop of Scott into the Family Photo for Christmas, one of my personal favorites.)

Just saying for the record. I am married to a Navy Veteran. I take the service of those who put themselves in harms way at the top of my list for gratitude and genuine prayers of protection. Always have. Always will. The fact that Scott is divorcing my daughter will not change my prayers of protection for him as he continues to serve our country.

At some point, I will write a chapter or two here about the demise of my first marriage. Someone suggested recently that the title for that might be, "Man Behaving Badly." I have never said/typed/shared publicly the first syllable of that humiliation. There are many people involved in that saga. All of whom are now adults. Let me think on that. 

In the mean time. Thank you for your support. Your prayers have meant the world to me. Truly.  

Let me conclude, with the counsel that I received from my own professional counselor at the demise of my first marriage. Of course this is a paraphrase all these years later. "All children deserve to have the love and care and interaction of BOTH of their parents, as much as humanly possible. Children deserve to come to know their parents in their entirety over time, forming their own opinions from lots of interaction." In my hurt and humiliation, it took me a while to grasp that. Truer words were never spoken. 

My prayer. Several of you have asked me what I want you to pray for....... 

..... level headed thinking and do what is BEST for the children. That is my prayer.

None of 'us' saw this coming. That was part of the plan up to this point. Now. Let's have some HEAVEN ON EARTH intervention for moving forward.  Please reconsider what is truly and honestly in their best interest. That is my prayer. That is my prayer. That is my prayer. 

My prayer is that resources and energy and creativity can be poured into meaningful pursuits, that level heads will intervene, that direction from on high, or from the bench at the courthouse, or from Heaven on High with angel harps, will insist upon it. .....and begin immediately forward, move toward healing, restoration and wholeness. I pray for EVERY individual in both extended families. There is a whole lot of hurting going on at this point. No need to make it worse. Divide the spoils. Share the children. 

Amen. 

I just want to clarify that my work is ALL self-published. Yes. We took out a second mortgage on our Worthington home so that my work could be shared with educators and librarians. That's the gift that my second husband gave to me, after the tumultuous demise of my being the pastor's wife chapter concluded and was in the record books. I am published, because we published me. I hope that's clear.  God has a way of making all things work together for good. I'm betting on Heaven. I've seen that track record at work in my own life for the last two decades.