Wink from Heaven: Hope- to infinity and beyond

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Hope- to infinity and beyond

This weekend we went with "hope kids" to see Toy Story 3. It was such a fun family outing! We loved the movie, and we loved being in a theater filled with families who have special kids. I loved hearing other suction machines, beeps and gurgles. I loved seeing the hallway filled with wheel chairs. I loved being able to go to on a special outing all together, and I loved feeling like we fit right in!
The movie theater was right next to the Mayan restaurant so we decided to splurge and take the boys there for lunch. They loved the jungle atmosphere and were really excited to see the divers jump off of the cliffs!
Thank you "hope kids" for a wonderful Saturday activity!

5 comments:

Junior said...: Looks like you all had a blast. I really want to take Junior to see Toy Story 3 one of these days.; June 27, 2010 at 12:10 PM
The VW's said...: What a great organization! It must feel great to be able to see a movie and not worry about all the usual things that parents with special needs children usually worry about! Sounds like a great day! Glad you had a great time! Hugs!!!; June 27, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Candace said...: Sounds like loads of FUN! Glad you guys had a great day out...; June 27, 2010 at 6:47 PM
Becky said...: That was one of my favorite things about going to events with other special needs families...the beeps and gurgles and suctions going off were like music to my ears. :); June 27, 2010 at 8:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Sounds fantastic!; June 28, 2010 at 3:26 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.