Stopping the World if Just for a Moment By Suzin Buzas Carr ’85
Suzin tells us how she came to write I Choose, a “whimsical children’s book about the choices humans make every day,” and the assistance from her son that brought it all together.
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watch our nine-year-old child, Chandler, sleeping with the face of an angel. Sometimes, I cannot take my eyes off him because I am filled with such tremendous love for this blessing that was sent to us. I like to believe that Chandler came to us by way of the Galapagos Islands. He was God’s gift, as it were, for our tenth wedding anniversary, conceived out of great love and hope. I felt deeply connected with his Spirit long before he was even born and have every day since.
imagine. What a joy this journey has been! Nobody c o u l d possibly have ever told me what a wonderfully rewarding, life-changing role I would play.
ords seemed to come from “W everywhere and quickly … flooding the page in rhyme.”
On the evening of June 23, 2000, we held this special child; this blessing that I have always known has a clear and definite purpose and who is meant to be here…June 23 is a day for Chandler “our bringer of light.” My husband, Jim, and I were the stereotypical firsttime parents. We watched Chandler’s every move and have the pictures to prove it. We simply could not get enough of this child. Long before he was born, we made the decision that I would trade my account executive position with a direct mail company for the honor of being his stay-at-home Mom. I accepted that role willingly, knowing that the commitment was going to be way more than I could ever
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I’ve had the pleasure of knowing all the ups and downs that come with raising a small child… teaching him to dress and to tie shoes, listening patiently as he learns to play the guitar, wiping stuffy noses, enduring long nights, and receiving giant hugs. Through it all, our biggest lessons with him have been about God and learning to be independent. For all of Chandler’s life, his Dad and I have always offered him the opportunity to make age-appropriate choices. Maybe it was which shirt to wear or which vegetable to have for dinner, but always there was a choice. As he got older, sometimes we’ve had to walk him through the “choosing” process when picking a baseball tournament game over a birthday party. It isn’t easy for adults to do sometimes, either. We’ve included him in some of our toughest life decisions like buying a new home or making family budget cuts when necessary. Choices have always been in Chandler’s life.