Gift #1: Connection. "Stay wif me. Sleep wif me. Don't leave me." From 1:00 am until 5:30 am he tossed and moaned, arms and legs touching, holding, draping across one part of my body or another at all times. There wasn't much I could do but offer ibuprofen and kisses, but it turns out that was just what he needed. To be loved by a child from a hard place, to be offered the opportunity to nurture that child into connection, is God's greatest gift.
The way you heal the world
is you start with your own family.
--Mother Teresa
Gift #2: Netflix. There are no words for my gratitude for Netflix, where my son can watch a continuous loop of Let It Shine and pretend he's a gospel rapper. This is especially fun when he's half-delirious and moaning.
I might be a busboy
But you just got served.
--Cyrus
Gift #3: Our pediatrician. I do not take lightly the incredible gift of being able to call our pediatrician at 8:00 am, scheduling an appointment for 11:00 am, and getting a complete, caring and thorough workup to rule out everything from strep to mono. (Turns out it was a particularly nasty but thankfully short-lived virus.) I realize that sadly, this is a privilege not shared by much of the world.
In health there is freedom,
Health is the first of all liberties.
--Henri-Frederic Amiel
Gift #4: Popsicles. Paul didn't want to eat or drink anything. He was so lethargic and hot and achy that nothing tempted him. Until the sweet nurse (see gift #3) handed him an orange popsicle. Doctor's orders - popsicles and Sprite all day long.
I like freedom. I wake up in the morning and I say,
"I don't know, should I have a popsicle or a donut?"
You know, who knows?
--Oscar Nunez
Gift #5: Sick Days. It is a great gift that I have a job in which I can stay home with my sick child. Again, I realize that this is a privilege not shared my all, and many must weight the devastating choice between staying with one's child versus losing one's job. I am thankful that the teachers and students with whom I work are so flexible in rescheduling my guidance time and so caring to send Paul well-wishes and prayers for his healing. An equally great gift - Trent's job is also flexible in allowing him to take the afternoon to relieve me so I could meet with enough classes and students that I didn't fall ridiculously behind with end-of-the-school-year stuff.
Sorry your sick day is due to actual sickness.
--Unknown
Gift #6: Junie B. Jones. Reading is hard work for my 1st grade English language learner, but he loves stories, and he loves to cuddle up next to me and take turns reading about another first grader who is also prone to impulsive mishaps. When his eyes ached too much for television, he wanted an eye mask and some Aloha-ha-ha.
There is no substitute for books
in the life of a child.
--May Ellen Chase
Gift #7: Steno Notebooks. Because we were stuck at home without schoolwork, yet with a reading test looming, we practiced the visual tool - compare and contrast - in our steno notebook/journal. Paul may not know the unit's pattern statement or process questions word-for-word, but he seems to grasp the underlying theme: Mom and Dad "Love me and Take kare ave me."
Children will not remember you
for the material things you provided
but for the feeling that you cherished them.
--Richard L. Evans
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