A little inspiration...

[jenilouise]

My oldest daughter is partially deaf. When I was pregnant with her I was reading an Erma Bombeck book and I read this. At the time it made me think of my grandmother who had just passed away and had my aunt who has Down's Syndrome. I'd like to share it with you now.

The Special Mother
by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social
pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children.
Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for
propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs
His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to
profanity."

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped
child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who
does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of
self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll
handle it."

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that
is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to
give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and
that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter,
I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The
angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally,
she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child
less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will consider a
step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will
be present at a miracle, and will know it!"

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty,
prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone.
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she
is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".

"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in
mid-air.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

[Joanne]

Thank you for that wonderful saying. We can all appreciate it!


__________________________
Joanne
www.FreePrintableBehaviorCharts.com
(Free printable behavior charts, parenting tips, & more)

[jenilouise]

Sometimes when Isabella has a tough day and I just don't know how to get her to understand I look at this. Sometimes because she can't hear me correctly it's hard.

[Kaytee]

awww that is beautiful!

[WHYTEKNYGHT2003]

that is very nice, and wait... is that an emotion i feel? thats hard to do, jeni, and that post did it. i love it and can see this helping many a person through some hard times. thank you for sharing this with us

[jenilouise]

Yeah and she was a comedic writer so this just blew me away.

[teenhelper5]

I liked it too, thanks for sharing.

[puti1]

Originally Posted by jenilouise

Sometimes when Isabella has a tough day and I just don't know how to get her to understand I look at this. Sometimes because she can't hear me correctly it's hard.

HI jenilouise,
I want to appreciate for your sharing.
To be honest, it did brought tears in my eyes when i read how difficult it is for your both your child and yourself. I am reminded to be thankful for my own situations too and am very encouraged by you



Judy Hansen
Child Development Resources, Parenting Tips and Advice