Meet Daniel.....As with most parents, when expecting their first child, there are so many questions.....Will it be a boy or girl? Who will he or she look like? What will his or her personality be like? Will my baby be healthy? What will my little one grow up to be? Will I always be able to take care of my child? Will my child grow to love God and have a relationship with him? For some, these questions cause restless nights...
My pregnancy with Daniel was pretty much like any other....I had all the same symptoms and characteristics of a pregnant Mom. Hot flashes, crying episodes, back-aches, extreme happiness, massive amounts of energy, followed by extreme fatigue.. hungry at all hours of the night and day....relatively normal....EXCEPT....the kid didn't want to be born!
Even as a baby Daniel had a mind of his own....He would get here when he felt like it....As the day of Daniels birth approached, it was obvious he was gonna take his sweet time....November 24th, the day before Thanksgiving, the day before the Big Game.....Miami VS Dallas, I knew where my family would be, yes, we are a BIG football family....The doctor came into our room and I said " Look, I am not getting up on Thanksgiving at 4:30am to be here at 6am only to be sent home again...so...." Doc answers " yeah, and Dallas plays Miami tomorrow, I am not coming in at 6am either......So after a couple of hours of idle chit-chat of golf and cars (between Doc and Dan) we got to work....
Welcome to the world....
Daniel Stephen Godwin II
7lbs, 4oz, 21 &1/2 in
Our lives were forever changed in that moment. A moment in our life forever sealed and pressed in only the minds of my husband and I. A moment so precious, you don't want to move or breath for fear it was only a dream.. Daniel was perfect...crystal blue eyes, a little blond fuzzy head, little hands and feet that had just moments before pressed on my tummy in protest....How could it be that God created such perfect life?...Such precision in every little detail of this tiny guy? How could anyone not want to be part of this creation in its finest..? Human life...one of Gods most intricate and detailed miracles, and yet it is as easy as the spoken word for my King....
Daniel was a precious baby...He slept through the night almost immediately. Not too many issues to worry with. He loved his "patsy" and had a certain blanket.. When Daniel was about 8 mos, he was given a small 101 Dalmatian Toy Set. Inside had a ton of tiny dalmatians...about an inch big...Daniel had a favorite, and he slept with that tiny dog clenched in his hand for a year...bedtime was a wreck if we couldn't find that dog!!!
The next years with Daniel were a whirlwind....He was a fun, curious, active , smart little boy. He wanted to be with his Dad every waking moment.. Trucks, and mud, frogs and Barney, Talking Woody and Cowboy boots were some of his favorites.....BUT the most important toy of all.......His Police Car! It had lights and sirens....the whole thing....he loved that car, it went everywhere with him....even to this day, it is on a shelf right by his bed....
As a little one, Daniel had a BEST FRIEND....Cody......only he pronounced it "Cot-ty.....and Cody had a BEST FRIEND.....Daniel....only Cody pronounced it Dino.....(with Southern accents of course)Man, they were thick as thieves.... they wanted to do everything together...swim, eat, play, run, cops and cowboys, they even got spankings together...Usually if one got in trouble, the other one cried....If there was one in time out, it wasn't long before the other would place themselves in time out,just so they could be together...
Well, life happened and Daniel and Cody live far apart now...but their friendship doesn't know the miles that separate them.... Daniel started school, and did very well. He loved when he learned to read...he had lots of fun on the playground, and pretending...and there were THE GIRLS....
When Daniel was 8, one of life's ugly realities knocked on our door.....Diabetes. Our Daniel was diagnosed with Type I Juvenile Diabetes. In the very moment we were told, my heart sunk..We were devastated. My husband felt to blame....what would we do? How would we ever teach him?
Thankfully, God saw fit to give my husband 20 years of life experience....You see God know us before we are born...
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5:
Daniel did fine. He learned and progressed like a champ..
As Daniel started pursuing spiritual aspirations, he started having a hard time with committing to football and church events...the schedule was just too tight...Daniel decided he would have to put football on the back burner....
Daniel is still at it...he is currently, in Leadership Training at the church we attend. I know that God has great things in store for Daniel. We are so excited to watch God's hand unfolding his life....
Daniel has two Hero's in his life....His Father, and Officer Baca. Daniel says "How can a boy go wrong, when he has TWO Hero's?" Daniel is so in awe of his Dad and who he is...Daniel's Dad is a Captain for the FBOP, and has an enormous amount of training in weaponry and other defense tactics. Daniel's latest description of his father is "Tactical and Beastly". Dan went to Daniel's school one day for Career Day...he was all decked out in his black riot gear, all 80lbs of it....You have never seen a kid so proud of their Dad in your life.....and of course, this made Daniel the coolest kid in school....He still talks about it to this day....Then there's Baca ....Bro. Baca (aka Officer Baca) is one of the Youth Pastors for our church in Tucson. Next to his father, Bro. Baca has been the largest influence in Daniel's life.....Now, let me just say, there have been many great spiritual leaders in Daniel's life..Pastor Pounds, Pastor Conner, Pastor Sansum, Bro. Lopez..just to name a few. Bro. Baca is also a Police Officer. As a former Police Explorer, Daniel has much respect and admiration for Bro. Baca.
As you can see.....Daniel is a pretty amazing person. He love's Community Service, there's not a sport he doesn't know something about, He loves his family..although he goes round and round with his sister, he would be on you like white on rice if you thought about hurting her..they call this Brotherly Love. He has a blast playing kid games with Ashton...Usually Cops...big wonder huh?
Daniel likes to collect sports antiquities, baseball cards, he loves shoes and ties....
He's my boy..I hope all who read this can experience the Joy of God's creation. A little boy from Heaven.....
