A Letter to a Child With Special Needs Child....

Dear Sweet Child,

Today a fighter was born. You. Yes, you. The sweetest, tiniest, most precious little soul. You are strong, brave and full of courage. I’d like to welcome you to the world and tell you a little about what to expect on your journey. It may be a confusing time for you. Machines monitoring your progress, your parents’ tears falling gently upon your delicate skin and doctors swirling around you. Never fear, you are loved. You will soon find clarity and your purpose. Life for you will be a little different than it is from most. You see, you were born special.

There will be days in your life when you will reach for the stars and other days when you will feel defeated no matter how hard you try. There will be triumphs and celebrations and at times unexpected set-backs. Your life will be a tender balance of difficulties and joy. But you will undoubtedly do amazing things. You have a gift to light up dark rooms, to speak without words, to inspire others and to demonstrate unconditional love. But the world won’t always make it easy for you to shine like the star you were born to be.

There will be times when you are met with cruelty. Stares, hurtful words, uneducated people and those who cannot yet see the beauty that is before them. It may make you feel lonely or worthless, but you must remember you are far from those things. Your heart will be wounded at times, but you need to know you are never alone. Because your heart is so big, you’ll be quick to forgive. You’ll teach more lessons in one minute than some can learn in a lifetime.

The world around you will occasionally be complicated and messy. You may hear predictions about your destiny and have expectations placed upon you. Remember you are defined by none of it. There are no limits to what you can achieve and accomplish. No one can determine what you will be capable of during your journey. You will be a surprise each day to those around you.

There may be scary and hard times too. You may experience a multitude of medical procedures, endure countless hours of therapy and even accumulate various types of assistive devices to help you along in your day. There will be a team of those loving you through those times, and they will bring you comfort to see you through all of it.

You are going to do so much with your time here. It is not about what you can do or can’t do that will define your life. Spreading love will be your specialty. You may encounter hate, spite and ignorance, but the love within you will be stronger than all of it.

We’re really glad you’re here. Your life brings so much value to the world. You might need a pep talk sometimes and that’s OK. We all need that from time to time. But no matter what, remember never give up hope that things will be better tomorrow.

For now, remember this: When you feel low on smiles and you feel it’s over before you’ve had a chance to begin, dig deep and remember your purpose. Laugh loud, live in the moment and dream big and most of all remember you matter in this world.

Love,

Stacy, Chris, Noah and Luke

This post originally appeared on Noah’s Miracle.

I read this letter on another blog and it brought tears to my eyes. I can so relate to the feelings this parent has. I've watched my little boy go through so much over these last 2.5 years. He has came a long ways, endured so many procedures, test after test, therapies, and hospitalizations. Some see him and don't realize what all he's been through. Others see him and wonder why he is the way he is. It's hard....sometimes very hard. Especially when I see him struggle and I know that I can only do so much to help him.
  However, I am so thankful that God chose me to be the mother of this amazing little boy. He is my superman. He has fought battles that most can't even begin to imagine and he has been through more than most adults go through in their whole lifetime. He's going to do amazing things... I knew it the first day that I met him. God has amazing plans for my Blaze. Just set back and watch my little superman fly.

 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,and he will direct thy paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6