Twenty-nine years ago at 11:12 p.m., one of the most precious gifts was placed in my arms. Philip Lee Niswonger made his first appearance into our world. From the beginning, Phil has brought a smile to every family member’s face. He was a content, good-natured baby; a good eater and a wonderful sleeper.
God has always had a special relationship with Phil. Phil was born late on a Thursday and went to church on Easter Sunday, April 15; he was 3 ½ days old. He loved preaching and at around 18 months old, he would shout AMEN when the preacher said something he enjoyed. At 3 years old he told the store clerk that he wanted to be a pilot and a preacher. By the time Phil was 4 years old, God began to deal with his heart. One Sunday night, after a moving church service, I went in to kiss him goodnight and found him lying in bed crying. He told me that he was afraid the rapture would take place and he hadn’t been baptized. We prayed and the next day he explained to his dad why he needed to be baptized and why the Name of Jesus is the only name by which we can be saved. (Never push your children aside when God is dealing with them. Allow them to pray, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost; it will save you a lifetime of heartache.) Needless to say, Phil was baptized the next Sunday in the precious Name of Jesus and a few years later was filled with the Holy Ghost.
That same year, he quoted scripture to his dad to set things right after misbehaving. We were attending my sister’s high school graduation. Phil could not sit still. He climbed back and forth between family members, up and down the bleachers. When his dad had finally taken all of Phil’s restlessness that he could and told him to SIT STILL, Phil looked at his dad with his big blue eyes and repeated his memory verse, “Let there be no strife between me and thee.” It’s hard not to forgive a kid like that.
Was Phil a perfect child? Oh NO, he was quite normal. His imagination and innovation was constantly getting him into sticky situations. At about 3 years old, he was looking at a fountain in the middle of the mall, I turned my back to window shop only to be informed by his older brother that Phil was acting like a statue and reliving himself in the fountain. Then there was the time he ran into a clothes line pole playing baseball in the backyard; his explanation to his teacher included details of how I had hit him. I became good at damage control. Someday, Phil will be rich. Fortunately, I have been able to stop some of the questionable schemes such as thinking it would be a good idea to sell scratched off lottery tickets to the kids at school. Another time, he went on a field trip and I forgot to send money to buy lunch, he assured me I shouldn’t feel bad, he had won enough playing cards in the back of the bus to cover everything he wanted to eat. I explained it would have been better to borrow money from the teacher, which I would have gladly paid back. In case you are curious, he did not learn to play cards or gamble at home and the lottery tickets were found on the way home from school.
Thankfully, God has protected Phil for 29 years. At 18 months he walked down the street and crossed a busy road, a kind man was holding him up so that we could see his bright orange Chicago Bear jacket. He learned very early to find a clerk and ask her to page his mother when he got distracted at the store; sometimes it was a weekly occurrence. The first time I allowed him to ride his bike to school, he hit a parked car; needless to say, I was quite concerned about allowing him to take the car by himself. He had crazy friends with crazy ideas, such as, doing donuts in icy parking lots, furnishing the band room at high school with furniture picked out of the trash, going to the bowling alley in an old beat up van dressed in wild clothes from the Goodwill and painting their chests for the football game at Central Michigan University and sitting in 20 degree weather, freezing, all for the team. How did I survive? Lots of prayer!!!
Phil has matured into a wonderful son, husband and father. He and Holly have been married for 6 years and have 2 beautiful little girls, Mackenzie and Madison. He still loves football but has learned how to play Princess, Mickey’s rescue and dress a doll. His hard work and innovation has allowed him to earn a degree in Mathematics and start his own property appraisal business. Now if I could only convince him to move about 300 miles south.
Phil, you have always been one of the greatest gifts in my life. You have made me laugh and cry, made me furious and filled with overwhelming joy; sometimes all at once. Have a wonderful 29th birthday.
I love you,
MOM
God has always had a special relationship with Phil. Phil was born late on a Thursday and went to church on Easter Sunday, April 15; he was 3 ½ days old. He loved preaching and at around 18 months old, he would shout AMEN when the preacher said something he enjoyed. At 3 years old he told the store clerk that he wanted to be a pilot and a preacher. By the time Phil was 4 years old, God began to deal with his heart. One Sunday night, after a moving church service, I went in to kiss him goodnight and found him lying in bed crying. He told me that he was afraid the rapture would take place and he hadn’t been baptized. We prayed and the next day he explained to his dad why he needed to be baptized and why the Name of Jesus is the only name by which we can be saved. (Never push your children aside when God is dealing with them. Allow them to pray, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost; it will save you a lifetime of heartache.) Needless to say, Phil was baptized the next Sunday in the precious Name of Jesus and a few years later was filled with the Holy Ghost.
That same year, he quoted scripture to his dad to set things right after misbehaving. We were attending my sister’s high school graduation. Phil could not sit still. He climbed back and forth between family members, up and down the bleachers. When his dad had finally taken all of Phil’s restlessness that he could and told him to SIT STILL, Phil looked at his dad with his big blue eyes and repeated his memory verse, “Let there be no strife between me and thee.” It’s hard not to forgive a kid like that.
Was Phil a perfect child? Oh NO, he was quite normal. His imagination and innovation was constantly getting him into sticky situations. At about 3 years old, he was looking at a fountain in the middle of the mall, I turned my back to window shop only to be informed by his older brother that Phil was acting like a statue and reliving himself in the fountain. Then there was the time he ran into a clothes line pole playing baseball in the backyard; his explanation to his teacher included details of how I had hit him. I became good at damage control. Someday, Phil will be rich. Fortunately, I have been able to stop some of the questionable schemes such as thinking it would be a good idea to sell scratched off lottery tickets to the kids at school. Another time, he went on a field trip and I forgot to send money to buy lunch, he assured me I shouldn’t feel bad, he had won enough playing cards in the back of the bus to cover everything he wanted to eat. I explained it would have been better to borrow money from the teacher, which I would have gladly paid back. In case you are curious, he did not learn to play cards or gamble at home and the lottery tickets were found on the way home from school.
Thankfully, God has protected Phil for 29 years. At 18 months he walked down the street and crossed a busy road, a kind man was holding him up so that we could see his bright orange Chicago Bear jacket. He learned very early to find a clerk and ask her to page his mother when he got distracted at the store; sometimes it was a weekly occurrence. The first time I allowed him to ride his bike to school, he hit a parked car; needless to say, I was quite concerned about allowing him to take the car by himself. He had crazy friends with crazy ideas, such as, doing donuts in icy parking lots, furnishing the band room at high school with furniture picked out of the trash, going to the bowling alley in an old beat up van dressed in wild clothes from the Goodwill and painting their chests for the football game at Central Michigan University and sitting in 20 degree weather, freezing, all for the team. How did I survive? Lots of prayer!!!
Phil has matured into a wonderful son, husband and father. He and Holly have been married for 6 years and have 2 beautiful little girls, Mackenzie and Madison. He still loves football but has learned how to play Princess, Mickey’s rescue and dress a doll. His hard work and innovation has allowed him to earn a degree in Mathematics and start his own property appraisal business. Now if I could only convince him to move about 300 miles south.
Phil, you have always been one of the greatest gifts in my life. You have made me laugh and cry, made me furious and filled with overwhelming joy; sometimes all at once. Have a wonderful 29th birthday.
I love you,
MOM
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