Review of Welcome Home
One of our favorite Sunday night shows is called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EM:HE) hosted by Ty Pennington. We love to watch him as he leads teams of interior designers, contractors, renovators and volunteers tear down and rebuild new homes for worthy families. And did I mention they do it all in seven days? The sheer coordination of materials and manpower needed to pull off such a feat has to be something akin to arranging the choreography of seven majoy Broadway musicals at one time.
However, we just see the end of the journey for those who receive new homes made especially for them. The real feat for the deserving families involves convincing ABC and the EM:HE team that they are worthy of the effort. Most begin with a nineteen page hard copy and video application mailed in with several stamps and more prayers. Several months and thousands of votes later, it comes down to the morning of the shooting when they may or may not hear Ty say, “Good morning, <name> family!” Being selected as an EM:HE family is nothing short of a miracle.
For the Woodhouse family, being selected by ABC is only one in a long string of miracles that God has seen fit to give them. Welcome Home! chronicles the day-to-day miracles and “God-touches” that define the lives of Kim & Jeremy Woodhouse and their two children who just happen to have severe, chronic health conditions. And I don’t use the word, “miracle,” lightly.
Their son, and oldest child, was a miracle child, conceived after several miscarriages. However their joy soon turned to horror when he was 21 months old and stopped breathing. After several visits to the hospital, they learned that he had respiratory issues and chronic asthma. Meanwhile, Kim has become pregnant with child number 2, a lovely daughter named Kayla, whose health issues soon eclipsed her brother Josh’s.
Kayla has a very rare condition that leaves her unable to feel pain, hot or cold unless it is 20 to 30 times greater than that one of us may feel. Imagine having a fearless toddler who feels no pain! This is complicated by the fact that her
Kayla wearing a cooling vest
body cannot adjust to heat or cold and must be kept at a temperature of 62 degrees. A few minutes outside on a sunny day could literally kill her. Added to all that is a brain malformation that required brain surgery by the time she way nine years old. Can you see why they live from miracle-to-miracle?
This book is an inspiring story of their journey to extreme joy through learning to trust and have faith in the Lord’s leading and provision. Through it all, God has blessed them with just the right medical advice or just the right person with just the right skills or even just the right verse to help them provide for their children’s needs.
As you read Welcome Home! be sure to have a box of tissues ready, because you will need them. This is definitely a two-hanky book because you’ll cry in both sorrow and joy.
Interview with Kimberly Woodhouse
I’m so pleased to post an interview with Kimberly Woodhouse today! You know from last weeks’ post that Kim wrote Welcome Home: Our Family’s Journey to Extreme Joy! I contacted her through her publicist, Heather Diane Tipton, and Kim graciously agreed to answer a few questions.
Here they are:
- Having a fearless child who does not feel pain must be terrifying! How often do you have to “give Kayla over” to God each day?Until she was five – every second I prayed for her (and Josh’s) survival because she was such a daredevil. Now I give them over to the Lord many times a day, but it’s not quite as crazy as when they were little.
- I saw that Kay Arthur’s Precept on Precept studies have helped you meet each day’s challenges. What other studies would you recommend to someone facing such a great battle?I love Kay’s other books, and Elizabeth George’s A Woman After God’s Own Heart. Elizabeth has a series of Bible studies that follow that book, and those are some of my favorites as well. I’ve done them all. J A Woman After God’s Own Heart is a book I return to often, I learn something every time I read it and love how it steps on my toes. Kay’s His Imprint, My Expression is another one I love to go back and read. I really enjoy in-depth studies – ones that dig really deep, so the Precept studies are my top favorite.
- As a speaker/singer/writer and mother of two children with health issues, you must have lots of organizational skills to do everything. What organizational tip can you give to those who are struggling with their schedules?The best tip I can give you is to take the time (could take 3-5 days) to organize everything in your life. Make a list of everything that needs to be accomplished, divide and conquer (who does what on which day), and cull everything that is unnecessary. I plan out our homeschool days, our “chores” (which we call service opportunities), meals, what I can delegate out, and what I need to get accomplished at the pool while my kids are swimming. Getting organized can be the hardest part, but once you’ve got it – things can run smoothly even in the midst of the chaos. J (The parenting book I’m working on has a whole section of ideas on how to get organized.)
- I’m sure that you and Jeremy must spend a lot of time with Kayla because of her health issues. I saw in your book that Josh is totally OK with that and loves her, but it must be a huge responsibility to be a big brother to a young lady with such severe medical problems. What are some ways you make Josh feel special?Josh is a very special guy. And we try to make sure he remembers that every day. He is so creative that he sometimes surprises me with a new story or creation that he’s built, so we really encourage that and his flare for drama. Josh likes one on one time, and so we try to give him that – but he also loves to just hang out with us for “family time.” We’ve always said that we are a family, and we stick together, encourage one another, and pray for each other. Josh is a huge support, and very protective of his sister – but Kayla is also a huge support and encourager of her brother. We have Bible study together as a family, but also with each of the kids separately. The kids swim together for hours every day, and they love to encourage each other and laugh together.
- On a totally unrelated note, I saw where your website says you are a “third generation Liszt student.” What does that mean?I’ve had a lot of people ask me what that means – I’m so glad you asked! That means that Franz Liszt (one of the most amazing virtuoso pianists of all time) taught my teacher’s teacher. Clear as mud, huh? The Liszt technique has been passed down through piano teachers taught by Franz Liszt himself.
- Congratulations on your second printing of Welcome Home! Do you have any other projects in the works? Have you written any fiction? Thank you so much!Yes, I have a parenting encouragement book and a romantic suspense that I am currently working on. I’ve written a lot of fiction – please watch my website for coming releases – www.kimberleywoodhouse.com Thank you!
Thank you, Kim, for answering our questions! ‘Wish you all the best!
