I wish you could see Isaiah Thomas, our son, as we see him: that is, learn to look past his disabilities.

For example, look at his beautiful, pink face. Look at his beautiful dark-blue eyes flecked with gold. That's probably one of the most arresting features he has; his eyes stop people in their tracks beause they are such an unusual color.

Look at his golden halo of curly hair. Above all, look at that smile of his. He has a smile as wide as the moon; he is such a happy-natured child; nothing really bothers him.

As long as there's people, this is when he's happiest. 'Zaiah (as we call him) is a people-person (or, as my husband, Rick, likes to say, a "people-pleaser"). Whether at church, at the local Golden Corral Restaurant, at the doctor's office, at the hospital (for his ongoing therapy appointments), or out at the local Wal*Mart, he is busy looking for people to smile at! :)

When people acknowledge Isaiah, he rewards them with a huge smile that can light up the room. They'll say, "Hi, big guy!" "How'z 'Zachie?" "How's Isaiah?" and he'll laugh in his own, special way.

Isaiah has significant disabilities that are apparent once you first see our son; yet we see the whole child, not just the disability. Oh, sure he has cerebral palsy that's rendered him helpless (he can't do much for himself, he's nonverbal, and he's fed by way of a g-tube in his belly; he's fed every four hours), but we see a little Miracle of God who's beaten the odds.

Isaiah is six years old; he was born with a bad start to life; but he was given to us for a reason; it was (and continues) to be our responsibility; it is up to us to provide for his needs, give him the love that he needs--and rightfully deserves.

Just because he's disabled doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be loved, to be taken care of. He's a human being, just like the rest of us. He's a child, a child of destiny, a child of raw courage, a child who continues to defy the odds pinned on him by unsympathetic doctors--or society, in general.

People need to learn to see Isaiah as we see him. If they did, the world would be a much nicer place, and Isaiah would have more ample opportunity for acceptance. They need to see his smile, his personality, his beauty, not just his wheelchair, his braces, his feeding tube/IV pole (of which we hang his bags of "food" on, so he can "eat"), or his clawed hands that don't move.

To us, Isaiah is nothing but a God-given gift; as long as we have him in our lives, we are going to give him everything he needs, so he can have a happy, carefree life. He is truly a Miracle!