As I answered the phone one afternoon in May 1960 my uncle Dr. Raymond Mundall was on the line telling me he had just delivered a beautiful baby boy for us to adopt. We had been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant and had told Uncle Raymond of our desire, so when this call came, I got very excited. I would not be able to talk to Dale, though, until evening when he came home. I had to tell someone! I called both of our parents, and they gave their wholehearted approval. My mother was excited; this would be my parent’s first grandchild.
That night Dale and I could hardly sleep. Tomorrow we would be parents! The next day we drove to the hospital and saw our new son through the nursery room window. We immediately went to the store to buy clothes and the recommended formula to bring him home with us. Late the afternoon of May 18 his birth aunt lovingly and tearfully placed Bruce Leonard in my arms. I had fallen in love with this precious baby boy the minute I got the call. We were parents! I was working full time, so there would be many changes to make. The next day I called work and gave my two-week termination notice. I continued to work, taking Bruce with me in a little portable bed. He slept quietly beside me as I trained the new person. On breaks and at lunch I would feed and care for him. I had the new person trained and was able to quit working at the end of the first week.
Our first night as a family we put Bruce in a cardboard box resting on two chairs beside our bed. Dale’s mother, who lived only about a mile from us, came the next morning to see her new grandson. She was almost as delighted as we were.
We were members of the large Napa Seventh-day Adventist church, and I was working as the head cashier at the Napa Medical Group, a group of all SDA doctors. The people in these two groups gave us a large baby shower. There were gifts of furniture, including a crib, high chair and playpen, and clothes for Bruce for an entire year. We praised God not only for our son, but also for these gracious friends.
Bruce—full of fun!
Our hearts were overflowing with joy. My cup was running over! Bruce provided us with such happiness. He was a cheerful baby, and as he began to crawl, then walk, learned to talk, and could get into mischief, we wanted him to have a baby sister or brother. Before we were married, we had talked about having four children. We wanted two boys and then two girls.
We did not know at the time, of course, that we would have the privilege of God choosing our children for us. We now began the process of finding another baby. We were not particularly looking for a boy or girl; we just wanted another baby with a good background. When we learned about a baby that was soon to be born we made the necessary arrangements with the doctor. We just knew this baby, whether boy or girl, was for us!
Dale had just taken one of the hay trucks to Portland, Oregon, where he had purchased it, to have some repair work done. Early the next morn ing the phone rang telling us that our baby was born and we needed to get our new baby boy within 24 hours! It was October 17, 1962. I called Dale telling him we had another baby boy! He got on a bus (the truck was in the shop) to come home. However, he would not be home until late the next day, so I had to go by myself to get our new baby. We were now living in Woodland, California, and I stopped at Dale’s parents in Napa on the way to leave Bruce while I went on by myself.
When I arrived at the hospital I was first taken to see our new baby through the nursery window and then taken into the birth mother’s room. With tears filling her eyes and mine, she said she wanted us to have her baby as our very own. The nurse then lovingly gave our brand-new baby Michael Glen to me that evening. Mike was not yet twenty-four hours old. I wished Dale could have been there; this was such a special moment, but the hospital required that we receive the baby within the first twenty-four hours. I returned to Mama’s where I picked up Bruce and then drove on home arriving about midnight. Dale arrived late the next after noon. He too, was filled with joy when he held our new son. Together we again thanked God for His gracious gift to us. We now had two beautiful baby boys! Our hearts were overflowing!
We had a little time to plan for this baby. Bruce was almost two and a half and in a bed, so Mike had a crib for his first night home with us. We were again given a baby shower for Mike. This one was a surprise. We were at a church potluck when near the end of the event, the kind people of the SDA church in Woodland surprised us with gifts for our new baby. Mike too, was a happy, fun-loving baby and the two boys filled our hearts with pride and joy.
Bruce loved his baby brother. One day when Mike was about three weeks old, we were eating lunch when Bruce got down from the table. We did not pay much attention to this until we saw Bruce coming back to the kitchen carrying Mike in his arms! We were horrified! How did Bruce climb up into the crib and then down again holding Mike without either of them falling on the hard cement floor? Apparently, Bruce wanted us to all stay together. I usually held Mike while we were eating, but this time I had put him back in the crib. We believed an angel must have been holding them both!
Our cup was overflowing with thankfulness for God’s protection over both boys. Through the years our boys, and now their families, have been dear to our hearts and have provided us with so much fun, fulfillment, surprises and yes, a few challenges. We are a close family and our children express their love and care for us in many ways. We praise God for them.
We have seen God’s hand of protection over them many times. When Mike had just turned one year old, I had been invited to a baby shower. I decided I would not go to the shower. Dale would not be home, it was raining and foggy, so I was taking my gift early. When I drove past Mama’s place, (she and Dad were now living three houses down the street from us) Dad was in the yard, and I stopped to say “Hi”. He offered to keep the boys until I returned. The boys were delighted with this arrangement and I too, thought it was a good idea.
I ran a few errands and now it was dark. As I was waiting in the rain to make a left-hand turn, a drunk driver hit me from the rear, totally caving in the back of the car. Even though our car was white, apparently this drunk driver did not see me. 1 was driving a station wagon, and the boys would have been in the back seat that was now covered with glass. I received a severe whiplash that bothered me for years until God healed me in a special prayer session. I was, however, so thankful I had left the boys with Dad.
God protected them each from being hurt in teenage driving accidents and later a horrible pickup-train accident. We continue to pray daily for their protection. These prayers now include their wives and their children-three of whom are now teenage drivers.
My Cup Overflows. Copyright © 2009 by Carolyn Ratzlaff. All Scripture quotations—except where otherwise noted—are from The New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1979, 1994 by the Lockman Foundation, used by permission. All rights reserved. Life Assurance Ministries, Inc.
Carolyn has always been a positive person enjoying life and outdoor activities such as hiking and gardening, and she and her husband currently raise a good portion of their own food in small grow boxes. She also reads many health journals and is often surprised at the contrast between what was taught through the writings of Ellen White on forbidden items of diet and health, and the beneficial evidence of these same items which is supported by a plethora of scientific studies.
She and her husband Dale Ratzlaff have two married sons and four grandchildren.
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