To Tell or Not To Tell

Some of you may have seen this post about Desires of the Heart, and perhaps, knowing me, thought it was about a desire for this:

Actually, somewhat surprisingly, it was not.

The burning desire that prompted the writing of that post had much more to do with this:

About six months ago, I was in the process of looking up information about raising children with special needs for a friend of mine.  I love children, and I love learning more about raising them, and I love looking things up and finding things out, so it was a fascinating experience.  Thru a series of blog hops, I came to a blog that completely captured me.  It is written by the mother of 11 children, and was begun halfway through the pregnancy of her 10^th child when ultrasounds revealed that this baby would probably be born with Down Syndrome.  In raw honesty, she journals her fears, her faith, her concerns and struggles, and ultimately the joy that comes with her precious Verity.

As I lay in our darkened bedroom, evening after evening, nursing my own little Eden to sleep, more than once I wanted to stop reading.  I wanted to shut off my Iphone, delete the link, forget about this topic.  Irrational fear whispered that I should close my eyes, close my ears, choose to not let this into my life.  As if not knowing would protect me somehow.  From what? I don’t really know.  From having this as part of my life, mostly.  At the same time, however, I was drawn on, as if “hearing a word behind me, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.”

As I read, and saw various pictures of this family, my heart and my mind gradually began to change.  This mother’s faith and testimony touched me.  The beauty that love and truth impart to ordinary life shone out undeniably.  What had been difficult to look at, speaking honestly, became normal…

even beautiful. 

As if that journey wasn’t enough, this family then chose to bring another little one into their family through adoption.  Another little one with Down Syndrome.  Smaller, more fragile even than their biological daughter had been.  But this little one’s special needs were infinitely compounded, not by the nature of having Down Syndrome, but by the life she had lived up til then.

You see, little Katie was 9 years old.

But she only weighed around 10 pounds.

Developmentally, she was a tiny infant. 

Severely neglected, basically starving, abandoned, unwanted, almost at death’s door, this little girl was deemed of no worth in her birth country.  And why?

Because she wasn’t “perfect.”

Because she had Down Syndrome. 

Her adoption saved her literal life, of that I have no doubt.  And the way she has blossomed has been nothing short of a miracle.

The Blessing of Verity

Go read it.  Start at the beginning of Verity’s story.  You will not regret the time spent.

And so I was introduced to this world of Reece's Rainbow, of special needs adoption, of little ones who are seen as worthless by their countries and cultures because of various “imperfections.”  A world of miracles and faith, of redemption and great sacrifice.  A world of children who wait and wait for a mommy and a daddy, who live with the very probable destination of an adult mental institution when they age out of the baby house at four years old. 

Four years old!!!

That’s my nephew’s age! That’s the age of the little girl I babysit!

My heart was truly pricked, though, when I saw a little girl listed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  My uncle had Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  I never knew him, as he died in a car accident at 17 years old, but his memory and personhood has remained alive and well in our family.  I knew somewhat of the nature of his condition, and the difficulties it included, but I really never thought of him as  “special needs.” He went to public school.  He participated in clubs and seminary and did the things kids do.  I have read some of his writings, and he was a normal boy, living an extraordinary life.  

And it all became personal.

Don’t be surprised if this is not that last you hear of this topic!

But for now, our path has taken a different turn.  Some of you must have been praying for what you thought that first post was about because

Guess what?

We are.

Given our previous experience, we do not share this news naively.  There are no guarantees, this we know.  But we rejoice in the blessing right now, and invite you to rejoice with us.