Inspiration

I'll Lend You A Child - by Edgar Guest
I'll lend you for a little time a child of mine, He said. For you to love the while she lives and mourn for when she's dead.
It may be six or seven years, or twenty-two or three, But will you, til I call her back, take care of her for me?
She'll bring her charms to gladden you, and shall her stay be brief, You'll have her lovely memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise she will stay, since all from earth return. But there are lessons taught down there I want this child to learn.
I've looked the wide world over in my search for teachers true, And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes I have selected you.
Now will you give her all your love, nor think the labor vain, Nor hate me when I come to call to take her back again?
I fancied that I heard them say: Dear Lord, They will be done! For all the joy Thy child shall bring, the risk of grief we'll run
We'll shelter her with tenderness, we'll love her while we may, And for the happiness we've known forever grateful stay;
But shall the angels call for her much sooner than we've planned, We'll brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand.


           


The Buddhists believe that those who die so young were not sent here to learn, but to teach.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Welcome To Holland....By Emily Perl Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability- to try to help people who have not shared that unique
experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting,filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced then Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills... and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life , you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever,ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to go to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things... about Holland.

Difficult Times - author unknown
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
Life may not always be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

With Hope - author unknown
The first candle said, "I am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep Me lit." Then Peace's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
The second candle says, "I am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable." Then Faith's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
Sadly, the third candle spoke, "I am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer. People put me aside and don't understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them." And waiting no longer, Love goes out completely.

Suddenly . . . A child enters the room and sees the three candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry, "Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end."
Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the little boy, "Don't be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles."
With Shining eyes the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other Three candles.

Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life. With Hope, no matter how bad things look and are, Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our lives.

God Chooses Mom for Disabled Child
Written by Erma Bombeck Published in the Today Newspaper Sept. 4th, 1993

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, Matthew.
"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia.
"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint.... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity.
"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 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. She'll have to teach the child to 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, there is a woman I will bless with a child less then perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says "Momma" for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations." "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 she is here by my side."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

Heaven's Very Special Child
By Edna Massimilla

A meeting was held quite far from earth -"It's time again for another birth."
Said the angels to the Lord above, "This special child will need much love."
His progress may seem very slow -Accomplishments he may not show
And he'll require extra care -From the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run or laugh or play -His thoughts may seem quite far away
In many ways he won't adapt -And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent -We want his life to be content
Please, Lord, find the parents who -Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away -The leading role they're asked to play
But with this child sent from above -Come stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privelege given -In caring for this gift from heaven
Their precious charge, so meek and mild - Is heaven's very special child

Little Angels
Erma Bombeck

One day the child asked God, "They tell me you are going to send me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"
God replied, "Among the many angels, I have chosen one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you".
"But” said the child, "here in Heaven I don't do anything else but sing and smile.” That's what I need to be happy!"
God said, "Your angel will sing for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy".
"And, said the child, ”How am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?"
”That's easy", God said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak".
The child looked up at God saying, ”And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"
God smiled at the child saying, "your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray".
The child said, "I've heard on earth there are bad men, who will protect me?"
God put his arm around the child, saying, "your angel will defend you - even if it means risking life!"
The child looked sad, saying, "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore".
God hugged the child "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you".
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard.
The child in a hurry, asked softly, "Oh God, if I am about to leave now please tell me my angel's name!"
God replied, "Your angel's name is of no importance... you will simply call her
“MOMMY!"

When God Created Mothers
Erma Bombeck

By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into the sixth day of creation and working overtime. An angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."  
The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Six pairs of hands!" said the angel. The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the big problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"
"And that's on the standard model?" the angel asked. The Lord nodded and explained, "Yes... one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head, to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are in the front of her head, for looking at a child with love and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word." The angel tried to tell the Lord to take a break. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."
"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine-year-old to stand in the shower."
The angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."
"Will she be able to think?" asked the angel. The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate." The angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."
"That's not a leak." the Lord said. "That's a tear." "What's the tear for?" the angel asked. The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."
The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!" The Lord looked at the angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again, my friend. I created the woman, but she created the tear."

I Asked God
Author Unknown

I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole,
her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No
Patience is a by-product of tribulations,
it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings, Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that
you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others,
as much as he loves me.
God said... Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.