Perseverance is the Key
by Karen Wolff
I'm not one of those
motivational writers who can lift you up so high you have to look down to see
heaven. No, I'm more the practical one. You know, the one who has scars from all
the battles, yet has lived to tell about them.
There are countless stories
about the power of perseverance and the victory that comes through the pain. And
I wish I could already be at the top of that mountain with my arms raised,
looking down and marveling at the obstacles that I've overcome. But finding
myself somewhere along the side of that mountain, still climbing, there has to
be some merit in at least thinking I SEE the top!
We are the parents of a
special needs young adult. Our daughter is 23 now, and the perseverance in her
is truly something to marvel.
Amanda was born 3 months
early, at 1 1b, 7 oz. This was our first child, and I was only 6 months along,
so the thought that I could be going into labor at this early stage didn't even
occur to me. But after 3 days of labor we were the parents of this tiny little
person that was about to change our world more than we could ever imagine.
As Amanda grew slowly, the
medical problems began. I remember getting calls from the hospital telling us to
come right away. I remember countless surgeries and infections, and then came
the heart stopping prognosis from the doctors. They said Amanda would be legally
blind, possibly deaf, and would likely have cerebral palsy. This was certainly
not what we had planned and we had no clue about how to even deal with this kind
of news.
When we finally took her
home at a whopping 4 lb, 4 oz, I dressed her in cabbage patch clothes because
they were the smallest clothes I could find. And yeah, she was cute.
About a month after she was
home, we noticed that she was able to follow us with her eyes. The doctors
couldn't explain it because the part of her brain that controls her sight is
gone. But she sees anyway. And she walks and hears normally too.
Of course, that's not to say
that Amanda hasn't had her fair share of medical problems, learning roadblocks,
and mental delays. But amidst all those things she's been graced with two gifts.
The first is her heart to
help others. She is an employers dream in that regard. She isn't a leader but
once she's learned the task at hand she'll work really hard helping those who
are. She has a job doing customer service by bagging groceries in a grocery
store. She always does the little extra things for people that she thinks are
struggling. The elderly always look for Amanda because they know she'll treat
them special.
She's always had a special
place in her heart for people in wheel chairs. Since she was in grade school,
she just naturally took a shine to them and she can always be seen pushing
people in wheelchairs.
Amanda's second gift is her
ability to persevere. Because she's different, she was teased and bullied in
school. And I have to say it definitely took a toll on her self esteem. Of
course we stepped in and helped all we could, but she just persevered and kept
moving forward.
When our local college told
her she wouldn't be able to attend because she couldn't meet the basic admission
academic standards, she was heartbroken. But she wanted to get some kind of
training, wherever she had to go. She attended a Job Corps facility in our state
and even though she went through some VERY hard times there, she received her
certificate in spite of them.
Amanda's life dream is to
become a nun, so living on her own is her first step. She recently moved out of
our home because she wants to try living in her own apartment. She knows that
she has more obstacles to overcome as she works toward her goal. Many
communities won't accept somebody with special needs so she's determined to show
them that she has lots of gifts to offer if they'll just give her a chance.
Remember when I said I'm
somewhere on the side of the mountain trying to see the top? It's not easy to
watch your special needs child struggle through life. I've felt every hurt,
every disappointment, and even anger toward every person who has let our little
girl down.
Having to pick up your child
when they fall and keep them going is something every parent faces. But picking
up a special needs child just to send them back out into a less than friendly
world is the hardest thing we've ever done.
But Amanda's desire to keep
going, keep dreaming and keep pushing forward makes it seem less difficult
somehow. She's already doing more than anyone ever dreamed and we will be so
excited when we can finally call her "Sister Amanda."
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About The Author
Karen Wolff is the author
and founder of
http://www.christian-books-for-women.com/, a website where Christian women
can find info on overcoming jealousy, fear, building self esteem, and many other
topics. "Print & Pray" prayers available as well as Christian book reviews and
recommendations. |
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