This Gift

-

This gift given to me
Seven years ago...

Not given swaddled in pink
and laid close by my side.
Instead placed in a see-through box
helping to breathe breaths of life.

A single touch lasting only seconds
not to be seen for several hours.
Seven days later,
finally in my arms to hold.

This gift given to me
so undeservedly...

Did God really know what He was doing
Giving me this treasure for which to care?

Thankful. Blessed.
These words do not even begin to express
what I feel, what I know, what I have.

Tough times, yes
Challenges, of course.
But still joy
And love...so much love.

Seven years ago
This gift, given to me...

My heart, my soul
forever changed.

Happy Birthday, Faith! You are loved!


Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 9:46 AM

    Happy Birthday Faith....I remember that day like it was yesterday when David and Jean came down to tell me. She surely is a gift from God.

    Susan Finlay
    Mississauga, ON

    ReplyDelete
  2. SandyOctober 25, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    Just happened upon your blog through "The Mom Blogs". I live in North Dakota as well (West Fargo). Your daughter is beautiful--happy 7th Birthday to her! I enjoyed stopping by & reading. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Apraxia MomOctober 25, 2010 at 1:11 PM

    Happy Birthday, Faith!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ColleenOctober 25, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    Happy Birthday to your special girl!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 10:01 PM

    Such a beautiful poem

    ReplyDelete
  6. ColeyOctober 29, 2010 at 6:37 AM

    What a sweet poem. My son, Noah, also has an Oct 25th bday. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cari JeanOctober 29, 2010 at 1:53 PM

    Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes! Faith really did have a great day!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

My Little Vacay to Nebraska

-
Image
When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit.  Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home.  Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay.  On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her da...
Read more

My Tetanus Shot Ordeal: A Real Pain in the Arm

-
Image
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm.  The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
Read more

Goodbye to Our Special Tomato Adaptive Car Seat

-
Image
Today we said goodbye to our Special Tomato adaptive car seat. And special it was. It helped Faith stay safe and secure in our Hyundai driving her back and forth to therapy appointments, shopping excursions, and many other activities. It also helped us through our time of not being able to afford an accessible van. Like all adaptive equipment , the special car seat was expensive and although it is the law that a child is secured in a car seat while traveling in a vehicle, neither health insurance nor Medicaid would pay for it.  Thankfully, we were able to receive funds from the fundraiser, the Great American Bike Race ( GABR ) which helps families pay for services and equipment that insurance doesn't cover for kids with cerebral palsy and related disabilities.  After doing research on the Internet and talking to Faith's physical and occupational therapists, we decided to go for the Special Tomato adaptive car seat. You would think something with that name would b...
Read more

Guest Post: Who Needs Sympathy?

-
Image
Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
Read more