I am the mom of a Chiropractor!

I woke up today with such a joy in my heart, knowing that today, my son is finally done with school, and is going to be able to start practicing what he has learned all these years. My son is a doctor of Chiropractic, and I am just so grateful to see all his hard work, blood, sweat, and even tears, come to fruition with this giant leap forward.  His goal:  to help people.  He wants to help people.  That is the blessing.  That is the joy.  Knowing how much he loves and cares about people is the blessing, and the encouragement. He has such a burden for people who are sick and in pain.  He is thrilled to be able to use the tool of Chiropractic medicine to relieve some of this, and give people a healthy pathway for the body to begin to heal itself.  
This boy has been seeking his education since he was 17, and enlisted in the Army Reserves.  That was his goal..that was the plan.  He joined to assist in paying for his college education.  We had to sign on the dotted line along with him, because he was underage.  Our hands shook as we gave our permission, but in our hearts we knew that HE knew that it was God's plan for him.  When he was deployed to the middle East at 19, our hearts broke..but we knew that HE knew it was God's plan for him.  When he entered Eastern University as a somewhat older freshman, therefore being in the same graduating class as his future wife, we knew that HE KNEW it was God's plan for him.  When he was not allowed to walk in his undergrad graduation , because of a technical error not of his doing, and had to watch him sit with us with tears in his eyes, rather than walk in the ceremony, we clung to the fact that we knew HE knew if was in God's plan for him--with broken hearts, we trusted, and watched him trust.  As he got married a month later, and finished the short internship preventing his May graduation, achieved the goal, and then receive his diploma in the mail with no Pomp and Circumstance, we KNEW that HE knew, it was all part of God's plan for him.  When he and his dear bride packed up their belongings and headed across the country to California to begin Chiropractor school, with bittersweet tears we prayed, cried, and KNEW that he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it was God's plan for him (and Mary!).  As he struggled for each hour of hard work, as a student and also an Army reservist, and husband, and then expectant father, sleeping very little, studying constantly, and even getting discouraged, stressed, and lonely for his wife and eventual newborn son while he spent 15 hour days away from them--we ALL clung to the fact that Christopher knew, for absolutely sure, that this was God's plan for them. As he had to make up one class because he spent days and days with Mary during her labor and delivery of precious Ethan, studying for boards yet again, having little to no family time, but with his eyes on the prize, we knew that he knew....it was all part of God's plan for them.  As one plan for a new position following graduation ...a plan that he was thrilled about, involving ITALY..fell completely through, and a better, more perfect fit-of-a-job was offered...keeping them in America (in Florida!)...we praised the Lord, and gained even more strength, watching our son and his darling bride at peace, with complete assurance, that this all was part of God's wonderful plan for them--we rejoiced!  No greater joy as parents than seeing your child know God's calling, whatever the calling, and go running in that direction!  
Oure bodies sat on the sofa last night, as we watched Christopher's graduation on our laptop on Skype--but our hearts were in California with our darling boy--skipping a bit as they announced "Christopher C. Slininger of Point Pleasant, NJ"!  Oh, we were there...right there with him.  His smile spread from one side of the stage to the other, and filled the room!  And Mary, who worked just as hard on the homefront, agonizing her way through a rough first half of her pregnancy with Ethan--essentially alone--and working , and supporting him, and missing him, and raising Ethan, and working more--glowed just as brightly!  All this hard work, paying off, coming to an end, and a new kind of hard work will fill that place now.  In a week, they will head out of their driveway, and journey across the country once again!  They will celebrate their 4th anniversary this month, and they have a beautiful son to celebrate with them!  They are heading to the next step of God's beautiful and personal plan for their lives--daunting and exciting all at once!  My heart is so full!  I am so thankful for my darling boy...who is an amazing man, a dear husband for his wife, and a precious and tender daddy for his son.  I am so glad he finally gets to be hands on, on a daily basis, seeking to help and serve the hurting and sick.  What a heart--what a kid (man lol) What a joy!  God plan is incredible!