How We Do This

It's really interesting the comments I get from people sometimes when they find out about Camille and all she has been through in her little life. The one I seem to get the most is "I don't know how you do it." It's funny because I never really know how to answer this one. One reason for that is that this comment implies that Jason and I are doing something really great. We are so not. Ultimately, we're not doing anything all that special. We're just caring for and loving on the little girl God gave us, just as any other parent would do. I never dreamed I would have a child with special needs. In fact, I can remember telling God on several distinct occasions that He could never give me a child with special needs because I could not handle it. But, we are handling it. Not very well at times, but handling it all the same. Sometimes I don't know how, but we're managing to somehow make it through each day.

And that is the other reason why I find that comment difficult to answer. I have in the past answered something like "We don't know how we're doing it either." And that's how I have felt on a lot of days. But then, some moments remind me of exactly how we are doing all of this, and not instead hiding in the closet crying somewhere (definitely an option I've considered at times).

The most recent moment came during the most awesome Cowboy game ever played--last Saturday's game against the Saints. We had our good friends--Brian, Sarah, and their little boy, Luke--over to eat pizza and watch the game. Let me give you a little background on our friendship with Brian and Sarah. It can really all be summed up like this: they are not our friends. They're family. We have been through so much together, the four of us. Lots of moves, and lots (and lots!) of husbands in grad school. Lots of disappointing Cowboy and Baylor losses, and lots (and lots!) of laughter at our children. And this is such a trite statement to make, but I'm going to make it anyway because it is so very true in this case. The Briscos have truly "been there" for us. And I hope that we have done the same for them too.

So we were at our "pizza pawty", as Luke and Henry liked to call it, watching the Cowboys, and I couldn't get Camille to sleep. Sarah offered to hold her for a minute, and she started talking to Camille about Camille's love for Kenny G because we had been laughing about that earlier. Not that there is anything wrong with Kenny G, but Camille has an obsession. It's Kenny G, or no music at all. No one else will do.

So, Sarah and Camille were chatting about Kenny, and Camille apparently thought it was a hilarious conversation. She started smiling these huge smiles that lit up her whole face. And here's the really special part--Sarah was so excited! She loved that Camille was interacting as well as she was, and that she was happy and smiling. She called for Brian to get the camera, and they took some pictures of Camille smiling at her Aunt Sarah.

That was so special to me, that our friends were so excited about all that Camille was doing and accomplishing--however small those things were. And let me add in here that this was after Sarah had kept Henry all afternoon the day before because we had to take Camille to the ER with a possible obstruction in her belly. (Long story, but she did not have an obstruction, thank goodness!). Sarah has kept Henry on so many occasions for us, often on very short notice, and often after she has come home from teaching 2 year olds all day, only to have to take on my very busy little 2 year old!

And that is how we're doing it. We have friends like the Briscos and all of you, who are constantly blowing us away with how much you care for us. There are so many other examples--our other friends who have special needs children who give us great advice and understand our feelings like no one else can; our friends from church who have us over to their home every Tuesday evening and make dinner for us just so we don't have to do that for ourselves that night; our parents who have literally burnt up I-35 between DFW and Waco in order to come down and help out. It's mind-boggling how much help and support we have, and we could not do this without it.

And so, as we get closer and closer to Christmas, I am reminded each day what gifts we have in our family and friends. I am reminded too of so many who have trials in their lives who do not have the help we do. I am reminded to look for opportunities to help others as others have helped us.

Merry Christmas to you all.