Wink from Heaven: March 19, 2005

Saturday, March 19, 2005

March 19, 2005

Hi to our wonderful Family and friends!
I thought I'd take a minute on this Sunny spring day to let you know how our little Caleb is doing! He is full of sunshine and just delights us every day! Caleb continues to surprise his medical friends as he continues to grow and develop in his given circumstances. He now weighs 9 pounds and 4 ounces and fits so cute in his newborn clothes now! He celebrated his 10 week old birthday on St. Patrick's day so Josh and Matthew helped me make a green birthday cake to celebrate! We've had some beautiful spring days where I decided to un hook Caleb from his monitors to take him outside to feel the sunshine on his face and hear the birds singing. He loved it, and it was so fun to watch his fluffy hair blowing in the breeze.

Caleb loves to have his family around him; it is so precious to see how patient he is with Josh and Matthew as they love and snuggle him. Josh often crawls right into Caleb's crib to hug him and soothe him if he's feeling sad. Caleb just loves it! Matthew new favorite song to sing to him is "I'm trying to be like Jesus." They adore their brother and they both like to make sure that Caleb has a sword close at hand like his older brothers! We like to unhook Caleb from his monitors so he can join us for breakfast and this morning the boys were tickled to have me bring him into my bedroom so we could all watch Saturday morning cartoons in my bed. Caleb just loves to be held and snuggled! He will let us hold him for an hour or two at a time -even away from his oxygen! Caleb's whole body just radiates with love and we're so thankful he likes us to hug and squeeze him as much as we want to.

Having Caleb with us is like having a little piece of Heaven in our home. When Josh prays he always says "I'm so thankful that we have Caleb, I sure enjoy having Caleb in our family" This is such a joyful season where our time is taken up by the things that matter the most. Our hearts are tender yet they are full of joy and delight!

I love the words, "Where is Heaven? Is it very far?.... when you're with the ones you love it's right where you are!"

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Prayer for Caleb

(written by Caleb's Grandma in her weekly column -2008-)

In my family we have a secret code to communicate our love for each other when we are out in public. We wink. When one of us is about to perform or speak, we look for a family member’s face in the crowd. Then we wink at each other. Closing one eye and winking is our secret code for saying, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

About three years ago, my grandson Caleb was born into our family. He must have known before birth that he would never be able to speak to us because he was born with one eyelid permanently closed. So, he is always “winking” at us, always communicating, “I love you. You can do it. You’re wonderful.”

Caleb has one eye lid permanently closed because he is missing one of his eyes . . . and he is also missing his brain. All the doctors said he would die soon after birth. They were wrong. Caleb is three years old. He is a medical miracle. The doctors say he can’t see, hear, speak, think or move. Those who know and love Caleb understand he has his own unique way of experiencing the world and communicating his love to those around him.

After Caleb was born the hospice people told us to buy a burial plot and continually warned us of his imminent death. We soon learned you can not live well in a state of fear and sadness. We decided we could spend Caleb’s entire life anxious and scared he might die at any moment, or we could celebrate each day we were blessed to have him with us. In the beginning, my daughter April celebrated Caleb’s birthday every week instead of every year with balloons and cupcakes because we simply did not know how long we would have him with us. We stopped the cupcakes after we gained ten pounds, but the celebrating goes on.

We all prayed for a miracle when we first learned about Caleb’s condition. We got one. Caleb’s birth, life and mission have had a deep and lasting impact on our lives. His spirit, eternal identity and most of all the loving, individual relationship he has with each of us is truly a miracle. Because of Caleb we know that each of us has a divine purpose and that the physical body is a sacred gift we should never take for granted. We better understand the worth of a soul and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Caleb’s five year old brother Matthew said, “Grandma. The doctors said Caleb was going to die, but he didn’t. That’s the first miracle I ever saw!”

Sometimes Caleb’s baby brother Mitchell pulls out his feeding tube while they hold hands riding together in their double stroller. Sometimes the only intervention that can get Caleb’s heart rate up is when his older brothers Josh and Matty crawl in his crib, hug him and sing, “I am a Child of God.” ...If you have a moment please offer a prayer for the little boy who has never been able to utter a single word and yet has taught everyone who knows and loves him – all the secrets of a rich and meaningful life.