Monday, May 08, 2006

Frustration...Inspiration

As many of you know, I have a very special little baby in my life, Immanuel James. Now while Manny certainly has some special needs, he also has some very special gifts. One of my favorites is that he teaches his Mommy to slow down and open her eyes to greater truths that lie right in front of me...it is one of those that I will share today.

Manny has both a physical therapist and an occupational therapist working with him to help him reach some of his motor milestones. Now, Manny is doing extraordinarily well for a Down syndome child however he is a bit behind the curve by normal standards. I have always commented on what a calm and contended baby Manny has been and remains and as it turns out, that works against him in some ways. His physical therapist explained to me that babies begin moving forward, crawling and walking because they want more, they need more...they get frustrated. Manny, God love him, is just so darn happy that it doesn't automatically occur to him that there might be something better or more fulfilling for him out there. So now, one of my most important jobs is to find ways to frustrate him and that in turn inspires him to move forward (currently inspiration = a pippin hot cup of coffee just out of reach...he has just a bit of Sam in him)

I think about this all, and it makes me smile. I realize that out of the the times of my greatest frustrations comes the inspirations for moving forward. God knows me well and sad but true...sometimes he has to tic me off to get me going. It's all about love...that I know for sure.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Praise Report

I just realized that it has been an extremely long time since I have blogged. Most of you know the reason is that I have just started a new job. Many of you have been praying for me in this endeavor and I am here to tell you that I am feeling the effects of that prayer. I was most distressed at the thought of putting the kids in daycare, albeit only 2 days a week. What was amazing was that after I dropped them off, I just felt calm and purposeful. What a wonderful feeling, better than I could have imagined. I was able to shift gears easily. Now, I realize that things will not always be this smooth, however it was such a blessing for this first week. Thank you all for the prayer and thanks be to God for looking out for me.