Back to "Perfect"

My son, Joshua had Kawasaki Disease several weeks ago. Check out the post Kawasaki Disease for the story if you don't know about it. Yesterday he had his second echocardiograph and his heart is back to normal which means Joshua is now even more perfect than before (except for his screeching)! That was an answer to prayer! I used to take my kids to a family doctor and made the decision to take them to a pediatrician (an awesome one I might add). If you have been considering whether to stay with your family doctor or change so your kids can have a pediatrician - make the change!! I have been so glad I did. Pediatricians are generally better because they work with kids, know kids and all the strange diseases and ailments that are peculiar to them.

We went to the Children's Hospital in Portland yesterday for the echocardiograph. What an awesome facility! Let me tell you, if you are down and out and disgruntled about this or that, then just visit a children's hospital for awhile. You will see children in wheelchairs, unable to communicate their needs. You will see children with ballcaps on and noticeably short hair or no hair underneath. It's a big dose of reality to see what some people are dealing with in their lives. There are also angels there, you know. I saw a senior couple who were probably in their mid to late sixties. I do not know whether they were a foster family, respite care, taking care of their grandchild or what the situation was. The boy in the stroller they were taking care of was so malformed. They loved on him and showered him with attention, human touch, and kindness. Many people in their lives receive awards for this or that. I don't know if these folks have ever received one, but I do know that what they do is far beyond what any medal can commendate for.

Let us be thankful!

Debbie

From My Little Corner of the World: I’m Sending my 5 year old Celiac kid off to Kindergarten…

Time flies, doesn’t it?

I’ve known that my kids are going to grow up, but I didn’t really face that fact with my heart, only my head. I also didn’t know how much my heart could hurt for them.

In one short month, Nathan is going to be in Kindergarten. Just thinking about it causes my stomach to flip flop. He is such a busy kid. I hope he doesn’t try to wrestle in the classroom. I hope he doesn’t want non-stop attention from the teacher. I hope he can make it through the year without consuming gluten and having an accident in his pants.

If there is one thing I could do for him it would be to have the diagnosis of Celiac instead of him. A friend of mine recently commented (she was trying to sympathize with me) about how hard this has been for me to make all of these changes for him. While I do get discouraged with the whole gluten free baking/disappointment thing, I never really think about how hard my life is. I think about him and how in the world he handles seeing other kids eat things he can’t have. I think about him being different – and I don’t want it to be that way. I want it to all go away. But it’s not.

On the brighter side, his little country school has only 90 students total and they happen to already have a Celiac kid! Now that’s amazing – at least considering how few people are actually diagnosed. I received word back from the principal that his teacher would meet with me before the year starts to discuss what he needs. So far, so good… I’m really encouraged. Trying to explain Celiac disease to someone who has no knowledge base for it is difficult. On the surface they understand, but it takes much longer and more discussions for them to really get it.

I pray that we can navigate all of the Kindergarten things like parties and crafts and the lunchroom. It seems so overwhelming at times but I’m his mom and I gladly go through all of this for him. I pray for wisdom to walk that fine line of needing to teach him gluten is toxic to his body but also that life is more than what you can eat or can’t eat.

Being thankful helps. I’m thankful Lord that my son has a bright mind and can say “I love you.” I’m thankful that we really do have a plethora of food to choose from and the income to buy such food. I’m thankful that you put me in a position in life to become knowledgeable about this and be his advocate. I’m thankful that your Holy Spirit can help his heart in ways I can’t reach. I’m thankful that I can still pray for his healing and yet rest assured that if it doesn’t happen you haven’t made a mistake.

So, I’ll try to remember to be thankful.