Some time ago, I spent an entire blog post describing my eldest son, Jacob. In honor of my middle son's birthday, this blog will, likewise, be dedicated to him.
I am big on family names. So much so, that each of my children's monikers honor someone to whom we are related. Without going into detail, Jacob's full name references Rob's dad's side, Liam's full name references both sides, Domenic's full name references Rob's mom's side and Helena covers my mom's side as well as Rob's mom. As you can see, I wasn't joking. Back to Liam.
You might be surprised to know that Liam's name is short for William. When I was pregnant with him, Rob and I went around on names and even went back and forth between William and just Liam for sometime. Finally, we decided upon William Scott Harwood, but we would immediately refer to him as Liam. It's funny, for not having known him at all outside of the womb, the name Liam fits him perfectly. If we had gone with the more common Will, Willy, Bill or Billy something would have definitely have been lacking. The name William has its origins in the English language and means Resolute Protector or Strong Willed Warrior, the name Liam, as a separate name in Gaelic means Helmeted. I like both and though, I believe that God can change your identity if you have, in fact, been misidentified in this world (Jacob/Israel and Saul/Paul), I believe that God gave us this name for him and that he has been accurately identified in this life.
When he was younger, he was of a slight frame. We always had issues getting him to eat, which is true even today, but he has grown taller and more broad. He has become quite solid. Of my boys, he is the only with straight hair, which he prefers to wear long. He was born with a "V" shaped "Angel Kiss" type of birthmark on his forehead. It has since faded dramatically, but it can still be seen if he gets his circulation moving (i.e. mad, crying, running around). Since it was in the shape of a "V", we determined it was "V" for Victory, though with his latest remark to Jacob about "Seeking revenge", perhaps it should be for Vendetta. We're sticking with Victory given the meaning of his name.
Of my children, so far, he is the most spiritually aware. We've exposed them equally to the elements that go along with living a life that, to the best of our ability, can be described as Christian. That is not a cop-out, by the way, just a little disclaimer that we are indelibly imperfect, but are ever working to become more like Christ and less like the broken versions of ourselves born to this life and further adjusted incorrectly through this thing we call life. Back to Liam specifically, though, he's pretty extraordinary in his own way. He has always operated in an awareness that exceeded his age. Even when he was an infant, his approach to the world was more guarded than his siblings and he typically established trust through a trusted reference. He quickly learned that if Jacob liked someone, he could like them too, but there was very rarely a direct connection. As he entered pre-school he quickly learned the in's and out's of attracting and making friends. He went the route of humor and a certain amount of aloofness. He's very intelligent, but has also learned to maintain a low profile on that quality to keep a balance between excelling and keeping friends. Though, he may keep a balance between overachieving in school and keeping friends, he has not tried to balance his faith with anything.
Here are a few stories:
- A few years ago when I picked him up from pre-school, he hopped into the car and explained to me, in shock, that some kids don't go to church or believe in Jesus. I explained that that was true, but that we can share Jesus with our friends, which he responded by telling me that he already had done just that.
- Later that year in pre-school, when 90% of the kids at his pre-school were sick with the stomach flu (picture 4-5 kids being sent home every day after having vomited), Liam and I discussed that he wasn't subject to the same sickness. After discussing it, we prayed and, as you migh expect, he was stomach flu free! He remembers that to this day.
- When he was in kindergarten, we were headed home from an evening church service and just we passed back in front of the church, we saw that there was an ambulance parked in front of the church. In the process of walking to our vehicle (it was a fairly lengthy walk), loading up and driving back down the street, an ambulance that was not there when we left the building was suddenly there, which surprised us all. All three boys were concerned and I reassured them that if someone was hurt, they were most certainly getting help and prayer. We had only made it a quarter of a mile, when Liam spoke up and suggested we pray for whoever was hurt. He prayed out loud and we all came into agreement. Still pretty incredible in my mind.
- More recently, Liam came home and told me that one school chum in particular doesn't go to church and doesn't know Jesus. Something we'd obviously come accross before. However, this time, he told me that he led his friend to Jesus and said the prayer with him. He also said that since we can have church anywhere, they just have church at school. He even explained the tithe and offering to him because the little boy thought churches just try to take people's money. (If you're reading this and agree that churches only want your money, I might know someone that can teach you the principle of sowing.)
As much as this little guys faith is big and only growing, of my boys, I can see the potential for an increased number of pitfalls in life. With high intelligence comes a certain pride that, I believe, can become destructive. This pride breeds the lie that we don't need anyone or anything and that nobody and nothing can teach us anything, the veil of self-confidence blinds us from how much we don't know and how much we need God. I'm not sure what God has planned for his life, but it appears to me that it will be big and I'm prepared to beat off any intention of the enemy to upend that plan.
Backing down from the hyperspiritual, Liam is just a great kid, here are few memorable quotes:
"I am fong!" - This was when he was 2 and he couldn't pronounce strong.
"I'm the only real Liam, all the other Liam's are aliens." - He firmly believed this between the ages of 3 and 4.
"Follow me, I'm a genius!" - This was when he was 5.
"People change." See this blog for background.
"If you hit me, I will seek revenge." - This statement was just last week.
Some of my favorite moments with my son are just chatting. He never runs out of stuff to talk about and I love to hear more about the things that make him tick. One of the things that is best and worst about him is that he loves to make goofy faces when we take pictures and, to some degree, it's almost like he can't help it. He is truly an awesome individual and someone that I am proud to call son. He is proof that God loves me and thinks highly enough of my husband and I to entrust him to us.
~*~*~*~*~
You might be surprised to know that Liam's name is short for William. When I was pregnant with him, Rob and I went around on names and even went back and forth between William and just Liam for sometime. Finally, we decided upon William Scott Harwood, but we would immediately refer to him as Liam. It's funny, for not having known him at all outside of the womb, the name Liam fits him perfectly. If we had gone with the more common Will, Willy, Bill or Billy something would have definitely have been lacking. The name William has its origins in the English language and means Resolute Protector or Strong Willed Warrior, the name Liam, as a separate name in Gaelic means Helmeted. I like both and though, I believe that God can change your identity if you have, in fact, been misidentified in this world (Jacob/Israel and Saul/Paul), I believe that God gave us this name for him and that he has been accurately identified in this life.
When he was younger, he was of a slight frame. We always had issues getting him to eat, which is true even today, but he has grown taller and more broad. He has become quite solid. Of my boys, he is the only with straight hair, which he prefers to wear long. He was born with a "V" shaped "Angel Kiss" type of birthmark on his forehead. It has since faded dramatically, but it can still be seen if he gets his circulation moving (i.e. mad, crying, running around). Since it was in the shape of a "V", we determined it was "V" for Victory, though with his latest remark to Jacob about "Seeking revenge", perhaps it should be for Vendetta. We're sticking with Victory given the meaning of his name. 
Of my children, so far, he is the most spiritually aware. We've exposed them equally to the elements that go along with living a life that, to the best of our ability, can be described as Christian. That is not a cop-out, by the way, just a little disclaimer that we are indelibly imperfect, but are ever working to become more like Christ and less like the broken versions of ourselves born to this life and further adjusted incorrectly through this thing we call life. Back to Liam specifically, though, he's pretty extraordinary in his own way. He has always operated in an awareness that exceeded his age. Even when he was an infant, his approach to the world was more guarded than his siblings and he typically established trust through a trusted reference. He quickly learned that if Jacob liked someone, he could like them too, but there was very rarely a direct connection. As he entered pre-school he quickly learned the in's and out's of attracting and making friends. He went the route of humor and a certain amount of aloofness. He's very intelligent, but has also learned to maintain a low profile on that quality to keep a balance between excelling and keeping friends. Though, he may keep a balance between overachieving in school and keeping friends, he has not tried to balance his faith with anything. Here are a few stories:
- A few years ago when I picked him up from pre-school, he hopped into the car and explained to me, in shock, that some kids don't go to church or believe in Jesus. I explained that that was true, but that we can share Jesus with our friends, which he responded by telling me that he already had done just that. - Later that year in pre-school, when 90% of the kids at his pre-school were sick with the stomach flu (picture 4-5 kids being sent home every day after having vomited), Liam and I discussed that he wasn't subject to the same sickness. After discussing it, we prayed and, as you migh expect, he was stomach flu free! He remembers that to this day.
- When he was in kindergarten, we were headed home from an evening church service and just we passed back in front of the church, we saw that there was an ambulance parked in front of the church. In the process of walking to our vehicle (it was a fairly lengthy walk), loading up and driving back down the street, an ambulance that was not there when we left the building was suddenly there, which surprised us all. All three boys were concerned and I reassured them that if someone was hurt, they were most certainly getting help and prayer. We had only made it a quarter of a mile, when Liam spoke up and suggested we pray for whoever was hurt. He prayed out loud and we all came into agreement. Still pretty incredible in my mind.- More recently, Liam came home and told me that one school chum in particular doesn't go to church and doesn't know Jesus. Something we'd obviously come accross before. However, this time, he told me that he led his friend to Jesus and said the prayer with him. He also said that since we can have church anywhere, they just have church at school. He even explained the tithe and offering to him because the little boy thought churches just try to take people's money. (If you're reading this and agree that churches only want your money, I might know someone that can teach you the principle of sowing.)
As much as this little guys faith is big and only growing, of my boys, I can see the potential for an increased number of pitfalls in life. With high intelligence comes a certain pride that, I believe, can become destructive. This pride breeds the lie that we don't need anyone or anything and that nobody and nothing can teach us anything, the veil of self-confidence blinds us from how much we don't know and how much we need God. I'm not sure what God has planned for his life, but it appears to me that it will be big and I'm prepared to beat off any intention of the enemy to upend that plan. Backing down from the hyperspiritual, Liam is just a great kid, here are few memorable quotes:
"I am fong!" - This was when he was 2 and he couldn't pronounce strong.
"I'm the only real Liam, all the other Liam's are aliens." - He firmly believed this between the ages of 3 and 4.
"Follow me, I'm a genius!" - This was when he was 5.
"People change." See this blog for background.
"If you hit me, I will seek revenge." - This statement was just last week.
Some of my favorite moments with my son are just chatting. He never runs out of stuff to talk about and I love to hear more about the things that make him tick. One of the things that is best and worst about him is that he loves to make goofy faces when we take pictures and, to some degree, it's almost like he can't help it. He is truly an awesome individual and someone that I am proud to call son. He is proof that God loves me and thinks highly enough of my husband and I to entrust him to us.
Great Stuff Bubbie!!! That's my Kiss!!! He's the Man!!!
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