I found myself recently feeling a little sorry for myself. Sometimes it's a little tiring having two kids who are not "typical." It can be draining, emotionally, mentally and physically. But you know what? There are definitely worse situations we could be experiencing as parents. And it seems like whenever I start to feel sorry for myself, I'm reminded that there are others who have much tougher challenges than we do.
We were in Seattle this weekend and visited Mars Hill. One of the executive pastors was preaching, and he shared about his infant son, who died at the hospital after several months of surgeries and treatment without ever being able to go home. In fact, they couldn't even hold him much while he was alive because he was hooked up to so many tubes and machines.
Then this morning, I watched part of a show on two people with mysterious medical conditions that cause them to age very slowly. One was a 40-year-old man and one was a 6-year-old little girl. The man was able to move independently to an extent, and the little girl needed to be carried everywhere as she's still largely in an infantile state. I only caught the last third or so of the show, so I didn't see if they were able to communicate much beyond what I saw in the part I did watch, but it appeared that both were mostly in their own worlds and unable to interact very much.
And during both of these times, I realized that I am fortunate. I have a daughter who is bright and funny, who cares about others and does thoughtful things for people, who likes to be creative and write stories and enjoys music, and who is a delight to be around. Not always, but frequently! I have a son who is full of joy and laughter, who has a wicked sense of humor even if he can't tell us jokes yet, who gives wonderful giant tight hugs and holds his arm out for kisses up and down it as he beams a beautiful smile, and who loves his family beyond compare.
I'm thankful that our children don't struggle with serious physical ailments or terminal diseases. I'm thankful that we can enjoy communicating with them, even if we need to work harder to understand what Ben needs and aren't always successful. I'm thankful that we have resources available to us - medical specialists and therapists and medication and developmental school programs - especially because I know that not everyone has access to such things, and because we have insurance to pay for those things that cost us money. I'm thankful for supportive family and friends and for prayer and for the knowledge that God is in control and that He knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us these special children, and when He gave us to them.
