Okay, enough petty stuff. Time to talk about something that matters for a change - being a father. Every father loves to brag on his kids, so indulge me while I do the same.At left, you'll see my 3-year-old, Aislynn. At the risk of stealing my wife's thunder, I need to relay how she's touching lives, including those of her mother and father.
Aislynn has befriended two little people her own age who are suffering from neurological cancer. The kids are staying in Bloomington at Jill's House, a residence for children fighting cancer to stay with their families while treatment is administered. These precious little ones often travel from significant distances - Aislynn's little friends are from Chicago and Nashville, TN - to be here.
Aislynn's involvement started with my wife's sensitivity to a mother who needed a baby carrier (for the full story, see link above). That mother's girl, Donna, finished up treatment this week but not before being befriended by my little girl.
When my wife delivered the carrier, Aislynn immediately sought to play with Donna. No hesitation, no "kid gloves" because Donna is very visibly ill - Aislynn just saw a little girl who might want to play, and checked apprehension at the door. The two had such a rousing time that my wife and daughter were invited to Donna's going away party.
At the get-together, Aislynn greeted Donna with a sincere, "I'm so happy to see you!" Ever the socialite, it wasn't long before my little girl befriended another patient, a boy her same age named Asher. She has asked several times since that night to see Asher again so they can watch Go Diego Go and play pirates.
All of this has really impacted my own life on several levels. First, it served to reiterate just how far we've come with Aislynn. For those who don't know, there was a short stretch in which we were told Aislynn was likely autistic. (My wife does a wonderful job of chronicling this time here.) Long story short, we found she did not have autism, but rather some developmental delays affecting her speech and socialization.
Neither Donna's nor Asher's parents would have believed that. They were genuinely moved by this little girl who didn't seem to notice the pick lines and incision marks on their children. Aislynn only saw someone to value in the most cherished way she knows - a playmate.
And that is why this has touched me in a deeper way than just the pride of a father whose daughter is making new friends. Aislynn interacts with people - in this case, children of a special set - in a way most adults would envy. We all strive to look past appearances, to muster empathy from the throes of apathy, to see people for their abilities and not their disabilities. Yet we all fail. How is it this girl who is "developmentally delayed" is so far advanced from most of us in this area?
Luke 18:17
You feel me?
2 comments: