Wink from Heaven: Heaven Sent

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Heaven Sent

(Please turn off my playlist)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

12 comments:

shirlgirl said...: Loved this post. Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures. You'll be friends forever.; March 10, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Christensen family said...: What sweet little boys!; March 10, 2009 at 4:16 PM
Wiggles said...: Oh my gosh I love seeing you all together. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing some of your wonderful time together with us.; March 10, 2009 at 5:40 PM
minerfam said...: These pictures brought tears to my eyes. What perfect little buddies with mommies who love them so much!!; March 10, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Jared said...: I'm so glad you shared this. It was like a ray of light into my day. What two special spirits and two wonderful mamas. I'm glad you found each other. I love you!; March 10, 2009 at 7:16 PM
Tara Bennett said...: Absolutely lovely. Their friendship is a true gift. Those boys are both so special. =); March 11, 2009 at 12:52 AM
Becky said...: I finally got to see it!!! :) What a great job you did. Makes me cry looking at it. How lucky we both are - can't say that enough.; March 11, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Karen said...: What kissable faces they have! There's nothing like a best buddy to share stuff with.; March 11, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Jo Jo said...: Thanks for taking care of Becky and Benji for us! You've brought them such joy, and from a big sister's perspective, we love you for that. You're a great Mom and friend. Welcome to the family!; March 12, 2009 at 5:27 AM
Cindi said...: This is so aptly named, "Smilebox"--it made me cry,and smile, and it brought me so much joy...what an incredible blessing these boys are...and you, their moms. I will add Caleb and your family to my prayers.; March 12, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Tina said...: What a beautiful tribute and wonderful friend you are!! I'm Becky's Sister Tina and have heard so much about you & your family!! Thank you for the sweet post, made me cry. What an amzing woman you are and i'm so glad my Sister has a friend as special as you!!

P.S. Any friend of my Sister's is a friend of mine!! :); March 12, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Unknown said...: Everyday that Becky remains in Utah with Ben, I talk to her, and your name comes up each time. What a great friend you are, and what great bonds you've shared and formed. Kiss that cute Caleb head for me :); March 18, 2009 at 4:36 PM

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.