You already know that I am a mother to 50 special-needs children.
You already know some of their stories. Some are uplifting, yet others are heartbreakingly tragic.
Like with Johnathon, our 9-year-old son who has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and other significant health problems. You know of his struggles in school (since improved, thanks to Sylvan, where he went after school), and you already know that he is dying a slow, but steady, death. Doctors don't give him more than 4 (or 5) years at the most.
Or with Ronee', our other 9-year-old, and her current struggles with JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, in which she has the severe, or systemic, form) and her past struggles (and some current, but these times are becoming less frequent) with bronchial asthma that have put her into a hospital emergency room. You also know that she is a twin and was born very premature; she weighed just 1 pound and 3 ounces at birth.
Or with Jodie, our 10-year-old with cerebral palsy who has never walked a day in her life and has never said a word until just very recently, and the fact that she requires round-the-clock care. She is also profoundly mentally handicapped with an I.Q. of below 30; yet, despite her significant problems, she never ceases to amaze us. She is a God-given miracle, and we feel blessed to know that she is our child.
Or with Richard, our 14-year-old wonder, a child who survived horrific abuse and now has a permanent tracheostomy as a result of that abuse; yet, as time goes on, he is becoming less violent and is turning into a caring, calmer, compassionate young man. (By the way, he just recently accepted the Lord Jesus into his life; he gave his life to the Lord at the altar only a month ago, and already, we see the amazing transformation that is taking place in our son's life!)
No, they haven't had easy lives, but they have certainly triumphed over such incredible odds; and they have certainly enriched Bill's and my life with their hope, courage, and "can-do" attitude, even when the odds were at their highest. Like the time Ronee' had her stroke, or the time Johnny had the meningitis the first time and he had been so very sick, with absolutely no hope for survival; and if he DID survive, he would be nothing more than a vegetable.
Now look at them. Johnny is playing baseball during the summer on a league for disabled children, and Ronee' is on her way to becoming a new star in Cajun and country music; she has already released her debut CD, and she has been asked to perform at many exciting places, opening up for many of today's best and brightest country music stars.
How would their doubting doctors even REACT when they found this out?
They have far triumphed over such odds in such a way that it would make your heads spin; and they continue to amaze and astound all whom they come in contact with. They are true living little miracles; and I have nobody to thank but God Himself, as He was The One who so graciously brought them into our lives. If there wasn't a God there wouldn't be a Johnny, a Ronee', or any of these other sweet, dear, precious children who now live in our home; and..we wouldn't be a "Forever Family."
True, our children have different skin colors, different heritages, different ethnic backgrounds, and even different eye and hair color, but despite the obvious differences, they are brothers and sisters by adoption, and they have since learned to get along (reasonably) well; and they are each other's biggest supporters and mini-advocates; and they will fight for one another. They have also learned to accept our Western ways, our foreign-born ones, and our domestic-born (American- or Canadian-born ones) have learned to accept the ones who come from places such as Africa, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Bosnia and grow to appreciate their native foods, culture, and dress; and not shun them just because they weren't "like them or didn't like the same things".
And, above all, our able-bodied children have learned to see the beauty in the physically or mentally handicapped; and they have come to realize that they are just like them in more ways than they ever realized. And our disabled ones look to their able-bodied brothers and sisters with sheer admiration; and they just want to be more like them; so they try harder to triumph over their disabilities.
Which is one of the reasons our disabled children are doing so remarkably well in a world not geared for them or their needs.
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DEDICATED TO MY 50 BLESSINGS AND LITTLE GOD-GIVEN MIRACLE CHILDREN. I, AS YOUR MAMA, AM INDEED BLESSED IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU WILL EVER REALIZE!!
i have to agree with masarat...brilliant, you have a tender heart. God will bless you because you care...(((HUGS))) and love, karla. :)
Reviewed by Masarat Daud
8/16/2002
Karen, this was very touching. Allah will reward you for the kindness you have shown. May God always bless you. There's a beauty and speciality in this children..they're truly blessed. Keep up the brilliant work hun!
This book consists of a 150 pages of Christian poetry about the end of time and the Second coming of Jesus Christ not as a servant but as a King, the King of kings. To bring righteousness and peace to the earth and restore the government of God! Peac
