Terri Ben Ami here.  It is my monthly posting regarding the state of our family, in particular, our severely disabled daughter, Nashi, who, at nine, continues to surprise everyone, including her doctors, with her will to survive.

The boys, Wallace and Hyman, who are seven and four, continue to grow, flourish; they can't stand to be apart from one another:  they've grown exceptionally close, even though they aren't related by blood, or by heritage.

Sometimes, though, things get too close.  This is when tempers flare and arguments start.  Sometimes their fights have come to blows; this is when Tovah or I have to put them into time out so they can think of what they've done to earn it.  We then have them apologize; usually, they agree, but this isn't always the case.

Having two wildly active, healthy sons takes our minds off our other child, our oldest, nine-year-old Nashi.  She has significant disabilities, and life for her is anything but normal. We have to provide for her every need; it's a 24-hour-a-day job.  She has a serious neurogenerative disorder that will, in time, kill her; that she's lived this long has been nothing short of miraculous; we only have the Good Lord to thank for allowing her to live as long as she has.

We sometimes get sad when we think that Nashi will never be able to drive a car, go on a date, or walk, talk, or even read; yet even with all of her infirmities, she has taught us so much about love, courage, beauty, patience, compassion, and thanking God for the many blessings He's given to us (and to her).

Nashi Danielle is our greatest teacher; she is one who can reach out to the hearts of others with her giggly, happy nature, and she brings out the best in people (most of the time, anyway).  We are her ever-learning students; with her, we never stop learning.  We learn what she likes or dislikes, how she is feeling at a given moment, the ability to love even the most handicapped of individuals, and make us see that even though she doesn't look like much, she is still a person, first and foremost, a person who deserves to be cherished, repected, and loved.

It's not easy because we are often faced with huge medical bills that only time can erase.  It is by a miracle that we have good insurance, so we are able to pay them off (mostly) on time; if not, people are more than happy to help out in any way they can.  They know of our struggles, so they lift us in prayer, which is incredibly sustaining; that and our faith in God above are what get us through the worst of times (our daughter's frequent hospitalizations).

We don't know what the future holds for our daughter, but as long as she lives, breathes, we will make every moment count for her.  We will give her everything possible to make her happy, comfortable, and at the same time, we will love, cherish, enjoy our two healthy children.  We are a family, and Nashi is as much a part of it as are her brothers, who continue to burst with good health, much to our delight.

Any day she wakes up breathing is a blessing from God, and we get down on our knees in thanksgiving and praise Him for allowing Nashi to live yet another day, another year.

Well, it's about time to wake her up from her nap, so I will go for now.  I or Tovah will write in here next month; hopefully things will continue to go well for our family.  Just keep those prayers coming; I don't know how we can survive without them or our neverending faith in a Merciful God!

God bless you all and thank you in advance!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend, Terri Ben Ami and family.  :D