PATRON SAINT
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, Cecilia.
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' 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 that is so rare and so
necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going
to give her has his own world. She has to make it
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, here is
a woman whom I will bless with a child less than
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 ‘Mommy' for the first time, she
will be present at a miracle and know it! When she
describes a tree or a sunset to her 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 mid-air. God
smiles, "A mirror will suffice."
Be At Peace,
Deborah Delp
Mommy to Samantha (NT) and Jr (ASD)
"What we do with our lives depends on our
motivation to do something with our lives."
D.A.Delp
Homepage:
http://the_delps.tripod.com/
Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/autism_and_vaccinations
