So there's this song..."Beautiful Things"...that's been stuck in my head.
You make beautiful things
Out of the dust.
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things
Out of us.
The words touch my heart.
My soul.
You see...this song makes me think of my husband and my children.
The last few weeks have been a wrap up of school and activities and welcoming in the excitement and new adventures of summer break. Our son (14) finished up 8th grade. We joined in his excitement over another season of football last fall and his first year of Track and Field this spring. We listened proudly as he played saxophone in Jazz Band and Concert Band throughout the year. We rejoiced in a final grade from a particular class that was challenging him. We prepare now for him to continue saxophone in Summer Jazz Band. In less than a week he will leave on his third summer mission trip with our church and be farther away than this mamma likes him to be...but he'll have a blast and experience he joy and rewards of being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Our daughter (9) just finished up 3rd grade. She blossomed this year. She is learning to play piano and listening to her lessons and practice makes us smile...from whatever room in the house we're in. Thanks to her wonderful music teacher at school, she even had enough courage to play a couple songs on the piano in music class. She pleaded for another puppy...and won...and she has taken on the task of training that puppy, as well. This summer she will take more swimming lessons. She will continue piano and working with the puppy. She will play outside with friends and connect back up with friends from school.
These are not the children we thought they would be. It was April 1999 that Parker was diagnosed, at four months of age, with retinal cancer. It was October 2003 that Faith was diagnosed, at two days old (and being six weeks premature), with retinal cancer. Parker's eyes, although treated quickly, left him with the side-affects of severe anxiety. Faith's eyes were treated with lasers, chemotherapy and radiation and her side-affects were many...including hemorrhages, blindness in her left eye and less-than-perfect vision in her right eye.
With Parker I recall a psychologist telling us that we had a long road ahead of us. Parker's emotional issues and anxiety would require years of treatment and it was going to be a far-from-easy roller coaster of a ride. I told that psychologist he was wrong. In fact, I believe I promised him he was wrong.
With Faith we sat in small room shortly after she was diagnosed and the doctor told us to prepare for not only physical handicaps but developmental handicaps, as well. We should consider learning braille. Raising Faith was going to be a challenge. This time I didn't say it out loud, but I believed this doctor to be wrong, too.
Today, Parker is one of the most laid back kids you might ever meet. He's witty, he's got a grin that melts this mamma's heart...and he knows how and when to use it! He's makes the B honor roll every quarter...even if sometimes he has to run fast from third and slide into to home plate to get there! He has a big, happy heart...as well as big, floppy hair that he says has become his "signature" look. He has humor like his dad...not sure if this is good or not...and he gives his mamma big 'ol hugs. His little sister can pester the dickens out of him...but don't mess with her or you deal with big brother. His emotional issues and anxiety shows up periodically like they do time-to-time for most of us...but all-in-all, it's a thing of the past. It's something that no longer has a hold on him...and that's a beautiful thing.
Faith can be summed up in a four words: pink, shoes, sparkle and JOY! No...she doesn't have vision in the left eye and her right eye is hanging in there...but it hasn't stopped her from much. There are certain things she can't do for understandable reasons of safety, but what she can do, she does well. She took 1st place in high jump for the 3rd grade girls for track and field day. Although her report card doesn't include the typical letter grades yet, she gets all S (satisfactory), S+ and E (excellent) grades. With the help of her teacher for the blind she is learning to properly and safely navigate through things the rest of us take for granted. Faith is funny and sweet and can sometimes really work things in her favor...especially with her daddy. She likes snuggles and animals and she is beautiful inside and out. She might have a physical setback, but there is nothing developmentally handicapped about her...and that's a beautiful thing.
My husband has gone through more physical challenges in life than any person I know. His story is one he tells well...so I won't do it injustice here. He may be limited in some ways by physical handicaps, but he is unlimited in determination...and that's a beautiful thing.
Beautiful things out of dust.
Beautiful things out of us.
Yep...
God makes beautiful things.
See....
...aren't they beautiful?
jeanine
