The Deaf & Blind Triplets
Little HaleyIt's 12:30 a.m. and I can't sleep, so instead of tossing and turning, I thought I'd write a blog instead. At this moment, as I'm typing these words, I'm overcome with thankfulness. I just checked on my girls, who are sleeping soundly in their beds, and I thanked Jesus for blessing me with three beautiful, loving, healthy girls. Many parents are not as fortunate to have healthy children and my heart goes out to them. I pray right now God will give them strength to endure!
What brought on this kind of thinking so late at night? I spoke with a grandmother, today, whose grandson was born with several complications. Her strength and her daughter's attitude is amazing. Also, the girls and I watched 2 shows on the Discovery Channel this evening that made all of us count our blessings. The first one was about a little girl named Haley who lives in England. She has a disease known as Progeria. It's when your body ages 8 times faster than it should. She is only 8 years old but her body is like a 70 year old woman. This little girl was amazing. She had such a bubbly personality and had remarkable strength. I loved watching her talk and laugh. Although she didn't look like your average 8 year old, I couldn't help but think that she was adorable. My heart broke for her parents because, of course, they know all the facts about the disease and that the average life-span for a person with Progeria is 13 years old. Doctors are working around the clock to find a cure for this disease, and I pray they will find one soon. Knowing that your child would more than likely not live past 13 would be heart wrenching. I pray that God will give them the grace to endure.
The second show was about triplets who are blind and deaf! I remember watching the Helen Keller movie, last summer, and thinking how lonely and lost she must have felt and how helpless her parents probably felt. But how in the world could one person deal with 3 Helen Keller's! The thought of it boggles my mind. When I watched their mom being interviewed my only thought was, "Wow! What problems do I have?!" This lady is truly remarkable! (You can watch her on YouTube. I just typed in deaf and blind triplets).
It's amazing to me how all of these parents are pushed to the limit each day, (physically and emotionally), yet they continue to laugh and try to endure - no matter the obstacles. God's grace is astounding! It makes me wonder what's so tough about my life?! My day-to-day family foibles pale in comparison. Thank you Lord!
Muddy footprints on a freshly mopped floor, the occasional argument between siblings, spilt milk, misplaced hair brushes, and messy rooms... these are things that are normally thought of as glitches in our day to day lives, but I bet the parents of the triplets would welcome all of these things into their homes with open arms. Muddy footprints mean that my kids get to enjoy dancing in the rain. Arguing shows they can speak and hear! :) Spilt milk means they are trying to be self-sufficient (every one's clumsy now and then)! Misplaced brushes mean they have the capability to find the brush with their own 2 eyes, and messy rooms means they are able to play in their rooms and have fun together!
While watching the show about Haley, Libby looked at me and said, "I bet it's hard for her mom to get mad at her, since she knows she's going to die." As soon as those words left her lips, I thought, "Shouldn't we all think like that?" None of us knows the day or hour our loved ones are going to perish from this earth. We should always keep that in the forefront of our minds. I'm not saying we should let our kids rule the roost, but I know we could probably all show a little more compassion and understanding when our kids do mess up. I know I could! And, we should always try to send our kids out into the world and to bed on a positive note. I know, sometimes it's easier said than done! But, we never know what the day or night may hold...
What brought on this kind of thinking so late at night? I spoke with a grandmother, today, whose grandson was born with several complications. Her strength and her daughter's attitude is amazing. Also, the girls and I watched 2 shows on the Discovery Channel this evening that made all of us count our blessings. The first one was about a little girl named Haley who lives in England. She has a disease known as Progeria. It's when your body ages 8 times faster than it should. She is only 8 years old but her body is like a 70 year old woman. This little girl was amazing. She had such a bubbly personality and had remarkable strength. I loved watching her talk and laugh. Although she didn't look like your average 8 year old, I couldn't help but think that she was adorable. My heart broke for her parents because, of course, they know all the facts about the disease and that the average life-span for a person with Progeria is 13 years old. Doctors are working around the clock to find a cure for this disease, and I pray they will find one soon. Knowing that your child would more than likely not live past 13 would be heart wrenching. I pray that God will give them the grace to endure.
The second show was about triplets who are blind and deaf! I remember watching the Helen Keller movie, last summer, and thinking how lonely and lost she must have felt and how helpless her parents probably felt. But how in the world could one person deal with 3 Helen Keller's! The thought of it boggles my mind. When I watched their mom being interviewed my only thought was, "Wow! What problems do I have?!" This lady is truly remarkable! (You can watch her on YouTube. I just typed in deaf and blind triplets).
It's amazing to me how all of these parents are pushed to the limit each day, (physically and emotionally), yet they continue to laugh and try to endure - no matter the obstacles. God's grace is astounding! It makes me wonder what's so tough about my life?! My day-to-day family foibles pale in comparison. Thank you Lord!
Muddy footprints on a freshly mopped floor, the occasional argument between siblings, spilt milk, misplaced hair brushes, and messy rooms... these are things that are normally thought of as glitches in our day to day lives, but I bet the parents of the triplets would welcome all of these things into their homes with open arms. Muddy footprints mean that my kids get to enjoy dancing in the rain. Arguing shows they can speak and hear! :) Spilt milk means they are trying to be self-sufficient (every one's clumsy now and then)! Misplaced brushes mean they have the capability to find the brush with their own 2 eyes, and messy rooms means they are able to play in their rooms and have fun together!
While watching the show about Haley, Libby looked at me and said, "I bet it's hard for her mom to get mad at her, since she knows she's going to die." As soon as those words left her lips, I thought, "Shouldn't we all think like that?" None of us knows the day or hour our loved ones are going to perish from this earth. We should always keep that in the forefront of our minds. I'm not saying we should let our kids rule the roost, but I know we could probably all show a little more compassion and understanding when our kids do mess up. I know I could! And, we should always try to send our kids out into the world and to bed on a positive note. I know, sometimes it's easier said than done! But, we never know what the day or night may hold...
"Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings."
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus!" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Well said, my Precious Child.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mom