Wink from Heaven: Peace!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Peace!

How sweet it is

to be loved by you!

6 comments:

Junior said...: awww too cute; May 3, 2009 at 10:27 PM
C said...: April.... too funny, I have that same shirt!!

Hugs to you and Caleb,
Christy; May 4, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Jen said...: I hope Snuffy is feeling better. He looks very cool in the sunglasses!

Jen
God's Shining Stars; May 4, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Becky said...: I've been WAITING to see these pictures. :) Thanks for making my day. I'm still laughing about your dinner party. You ARE the hostest with the mostest! I'll be calling you later. ;); May 4, 2009 at 7:24 PM
Emily said...: Hi April! This is Emily Bennett, Hunter's mom. Thanks for visiting our blog and saying hello. I love getting to know other families with special kiddos. Caleb reminds me a lot of my friend Behka White's boys. You should pop in and check out Josiah's website - http://caringbridge.org/visit/babyjosiah. (It's a little outdated.) So sorry to hear about the pneumonia. We were in the hospital for five days the end of February for the same thing and it is NO FUN. I hope Caleb is able to fully recover quickly and that you are holding up under the stress. Cute pic of Caleb in those sunglasses!; May 5, 2009 at 11:10 AM
shirlgirl said...: Nice pictures and love the shades on Caleb--the Moody movie star!; May 5, 2009 at 11:19 AM

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.