" My Own Special Angel"/Repost for 31 for 21

"My Own Special Angel"
by Norma Henneke
1977

As we walk to your classroom my heart swells with pride
for the children all run to you to walk by your side.
They hug you and greet you; they all seem to know
just how much you need them and love them all so!
You march down the big hall with your most grownup stride
and turn and wave bravely, "Bye, Mommy! Bye-bye!"

Such a big girl, my Misty! You give life your best
though sometimes even the smallest thing can be a big test;
like struggling to run just as fast as the others
or trying your best just to straighten your covers;
things like coloring, swinging or brushing your hair.......
Sometimes Mommy feels that it just isn't fair!

Once late at night as I lay in my bed
I cried just to think what a little girl had said:
"Why's Misty so dumb? Can't she talk? Can't she run?"
I said, "Please be nice to her, please don't make fun.
See, God didn't make her as perfect as you
And I think he would want you to help her, don't you?"
She shook her head slowly and gave a small smile.
She had understood perfectly and that made it worthwhile!

Yes, sometimes it hurts and I don't understand
How God could have done this as part of His Plan.
Yet each time I hold you or we kiss goodnight,
I know in my heart He did everything right!
You're my own Special Angel, and how lucky I was
To be chosen by God to receive your sweet love.

My own Special Angel, sent straight from above!

Repost- Altered Plans

ALTERED PLANS
By: Author Unknown

I've found that God has altered plans I made first starting out,

And though it's clear that He knows best...there have been times of doubt.

The work I do is not the work I really planned on doing,

And many people in my life weren't always of my choosing.

I know for sure that it is true...God has a plan for me,

The paths He's led me down in life have always been the key...

To lessons learned and growing,that I would not have done,

The heartaches and the happiness,the battles fought and won.

Looking back on where I've been,

I've realized just one thing.

Life isn't something that you plan...it's accepting what it brings.

The Beatitudes of theExceptional Child

The Beatitudes of theExceptional Child by Andre Masse C.S.E.

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech for you help us to know that if we persevere we can be understood.

Blessed are you who walk with us in public places and ignore the stares of strangers for in your companionship we find havens of relaxation.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up" and more blessed you who do not snatch our tasks from our hands to do them for us, for often we need time more than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us as we enter new and untried ventures for our failures will be outweighed by the times when we surpise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help for our greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you who help us with the graciousness of Christ Who did not bruise the reed and quench the flax for often we need help we cannot ask for.

Blessed are you when by all these things you assure us that the thing that make us individuals is not in our peculiar muscles, not in our wounded nervous system, not in our difficulties in learning but in the God-given self which no infirmity can confine.

Repost-Always Reaching

Sunflowermom posted this awhile back and then I posted it, it's so beautiful that I wanted to go ahead and post it again for those who haven't seen it.







"Always Reaching"

written by a father of a child with Down Syndrome: From the STL DS Newsletterby Matthew’s Dad



Every time I see my son, I reach for him. It doesn’t matter if he rounds the corner 4 seconds after I have seen him last, or if I am picking him up from school and have not seen him for hours…I reach for him. I can be 1 foot away or 100 feet away…I reach for him just the same. I reach for him with my arms, with my eyes, with my heart. I wonder sometimes what I am reaching for. I have seen this in other people when they see my son.My family, my friends and perfect strangers. They all reach for him. I see the same movements, the same gestures, the same need to hold out their hands for him. They want him to come to them, some know him and some don’t. Some call his name and others just motion for him. But they all seem to want him to come.For a moment, you can see his spirit reflected in their faces. I watch the smiles grow across their faces with a fullness that is unavoidable.When he falls into their arms (which is what he does to everyone), I see a momentary peace envelop them, and their eyes close, they pull him in and they experience what I call “The Joy of Matthew”.He gives it to you. He wraps you in it. He wriggles and squirms and mashes the love into you. If you did not know what to expect, you may be surprised and find yourself amazed at the feeling, overwhelmed at the emotion he carries with him. I am lucky. I get to hold him all the time.And I have been able to think about that feeling and where it comes from and what it may mean. I think Matthew is a window through which we see a pureness of emotion… pure happiness, pure sorrow, pure joy and pure love.Despite what some may think, our special children are closer to God than we are. We see so much in them that we lack. We wish quietly in so many ways that we could be more like them. And when we hold them, if just for a moment, we feel closer to God.That must be why I am always reaching for my son. That must be why they all reach for him

Sunday Verse

For every hill I've had to climb,
For every stone that bruised my feet,
For all the blood and sweat and grime,
For blinding storms and burning heat,
My heart sings but a grateful song-
These were the things that made me strong.

For all the heartaches and the tears,
For all the anguish and the pain,
For gloomy days and fruitless years,
And for the hopes that lived in vain,
I do give thanks,for now I know
These were the things that helped me grow!
Unknown

Sunday Verse

Sometimes we find within the heart

Of those whom other folks pass by

A strong desire to do their part,

To bless the world before they die.

I mean to breathe an earnest prayer

From day to day as moments fly,

And have within my heart a care

For those whom other folks pass by.

( Unknown)

Someone I Love

Linda at Lila's Miracle Life posted this.I'm posting it on my blog so I wont lose it.Lori Hickman puts into writing how I feel.

Someone I Love
By Lori Hickman
Someone I love relies on me in ways you will never understand. Someone I love endures pain and challenges that break my heart and renew my spirit at the same time. Someone I love is unable to advocate for themselves for things that most of us take for granted. Someone I love will never have the opportunities that every child should have. Someone I love will need unconditional love and support after I am gone - this frightens me to the core. Someone I love encounters pity, stereotyping responses, and prejudice at every turn, because they look, act, and/or learn differently than others. Someone I love has needs that require me to allow "outsiders" to have power and input in areas that should be mine alone to meet. Someone I love will continue to look to me for everything in life long after other children are able to assume a place as part of the world. Someone I love has needs that require more time and energy than I have to give. Someone I love has needs that mean I am not able to meet basic needs of my own. Someone I love has needs that have become the driving force behind major decisions my family makes. Someone I love has changed me in ways I will never be able to describe. Someone I love has taught me about love and about the really important things in life...
And still others don't understand what it is to be me.. they aren't living in my skin.
© Copyright 2000 Lori Hickman. Originally published as the dedication to Living in My Skin, The Insider's View of Life With a Special Needs Child by Lori Hickman.
Lori Hickman is a speech pathologist in Washington state. She is the author of Living in My Skin, The Insider's View of Life With a Special Needs Child, and four other books on speech and apraxia.