Wink from Heaven: Day 4: The beach

Monday, April 2, 2012

Day 4: The beach

"If you want to know how much I love you...

count the waves."

"If love was water, I'd give you the sea..."

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The voice of the sea speaks to the soul"

"Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone."

"To find a seashell is to discover a world of imagination"

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

Jacques Cousteau

4 comments:

shirlgirl said...: Awesome pictures. The one of Dallan is quite pensive. I'm sure he was thinking of Caleb. Love the "Wink" in the sand, Caleb's name drawn in the sand, the feet, your four boys walking hand in hand--just an awesome post. Thanks for sharing the love.; April 3, 2012 at 6:32 AM
Jenn said...: Love these pictures, you need to get them framed!; April 5, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Sarah said...: What a beautiful boy. What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing your sweet miracle...You have a beautiful family, and amazing outlook on this life. I will keep your sweet family in my prayers.; April 9, 2012 at 8:48 PM
Heidi said...: So happy you got to enjoy the beach. Huntington Beach is special to my heart because my grandparents lived there. My grandpa actually fished off the pier every morning. I remember the old Ruby's fondly. My grandpa's name is on the plaque on the other side of the pier. A special, special place. Wish I lived closer. It makes me happy that you found peace and happiness there. I find peace and happiness there, as well.; April 9, 2012 at 10:09 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.