Our Blessing

I was asked a few weeks ago, "How has God blessed you?" One of those Sunday school questions.

My answer was Kimberly. To elaborate I said that all my kids are a blessing, but I always think of Kimmie first because some people would not look at Kimmie as a blessing, and I want people to know that we do think of her as a special blessing God has given us.

I was then asked to give a specific example of how having Kimmie has blessed me. I struggled a bit answering this one because it's hard to put into words. So much of it is a feeling rather than something concrete that you can describe.

I thought about that question for several days and then posed it to the family to see what they would say. We all pretty much came up with the same answers.

It's the happy feeling you get when you hear her laugh.

It's the smile that comes to your face when she smiles.

It's the warm feeling inside when she wraps her arms around you and hugs real tight.

It's the bond our family shares as we all pitch in to take care of her.

It's the shift in perspective, in priorities. Our priorities are different. Our perspective on a lot of things is different than it would have been otherwise. For example: We'll never be empty nesters. That's ok. We have different priorities.

She's a reminder to put others first. It's hard to focus on "ME" when you have Kimmie. You know how it is when you have children, life becomes all about the kids. And if you've ever been around Kimmie, you know that "it's all about Kimmie!" So, just get over it, life's not about you or me, it's all about Kimmie. (That's suppose to be funny, so laugh.) But, more seriously, she is a reminder to look beyond ourselves.

It's the way she innocently points us to God. At 19-years-old, she's an adult, but she has the innocence of a child. And Jesus said we all need to "become like little children" to enter the kindgom of heaven. (Matt. 18:3) There are also those times when she does something or signs something, and I think, "she gets it, she understands all about Jesus." And I'm in awe that she can see what so many people can't.

This is the BIG blessing for us. It's the opportunity we have to be there when she touches the lives of others. It may be a stranger in an elevator. It may be someone we know is hurting. One day it was a car salesman. She reached out and hugged him. He almost cried. When he pulled himself together, he confided to Dad that many years earlier he and his wife had a Downs baby who only lived a few days . . .

Yes. She is a blessing.

--Mom