I took ASL in college and taught a little to the kids when they were too young to talk. Prior to having kids, when I was a Realtor, I was able to sign with a deaf client. Though I was slow and didn't remember much, she was thankful that I cared enough to try (I have to imagine that it feels like being in another country and finding a person who can speak a few words of broken English...even a little bit is refreshing). As a mommy, it was wonderful to to get Isaac to tell me "more, please, all done..." I really believe that it helped us to communicate and eliminate many tantr
ums that tend to arise when little ones want to tell us something that we do not understand.
To my great joy, there is a video series called
Signing Time that helps me to practice (while learning more) and helps the kids to learn. It is so well done and has
wonderful songs that get stuck in your head. It is also an extra bonus that we can check most of them out at the public library. One time, while waiting for the MAX train, Isaac signed "train" to a deaf couple at that station with us. He was happy to be able to sign to them, and they were equally excited with his efforts.
Abigail LOVES signing and singing along with every DVD we check out. When I spotted a flier outside the library advertising that Signing Times was doing a live show in town, I knew I couldn't miss it. For the first time in three years, we were going to an event that Abigail really wanted to attend. For three years, she has tagged along to every train event Isaac has wanted to go to; this was her turn. She kept saying, "We are going to meet the
REAL Rachel!"
The creator of the series, Rachel Coleman, has an amazing story. She is a singer/songwriter who, at the age of 17, gave a daughter named
Laura up for adoption (who found her and reunited with her recently), got
married, had a second daughter named
Leah who was born deaf (which was her inspiration for teaching sign), and had a third daughter named
Lucy who was born with both
spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Can you imagine?!?!
Because of the use of American Sign Language, ASL, there was a full deaf and
HOH, hard of hearing, section in the audience. There was also a large number of kids attending who had
Down's Syndrome and other special needs. One of the boys in the audience was one of Lucy's friends with
spina bifida. There were so many kids (and parents) who were there benefiting from ASL presented in such a fun and creative fashion. It was great to help Isaac and Abigail engage with kids who are "different" from them. It was great for me too.
During the show, when Rachel shared a bit of her story, I wanted to weep. my heart was so thankful that my kids were "normal." I was so thankful that she had made somethi
ng wonderful from the challenges she has in her family. I was touched when she shared of the joy she had meeting her first daughter...and I was broken thinking how someone could so all this without the strength that comes from knowing that we have a sovereign, good, powerful God who holds us up when we are weak (I don't know that for sure, but I am pretty confident from what she has shared in person and in print). I know I would not have seen the good without knowing that the Lord is good. I have to imagine that she has battled bitterness, despair, doubt, fear, anger, hopelessness, weakness...I pray that God uses all this to point her to Himself. The kids prayed that too. They kept asking if Rachel knows Jesus and wanted to pray for her.
As we stood in line for about an hour after the show waiting to meet her and take a picture with her, we had some more time of learning and growing. I was able to have good conversation with the mommy in line in front of me. I was able to not be upset when she spilled a whole container of peanuts on the floor and laughed about how she "hopes there is no one around who will go into
anaphylactic shock." For the first time in my many mommy years of taking it personally when someone (even unknowingly) endangered my son by exposing him to peanuts, I didn't feel like it was a big deal. As I watched other children and parents around the room, I felt like my son's "special needs" didn't seem like much. It was a humbling and encouraging reminder.
On that note, I was also able to have a very meaningful conversation with Isaac about showing special grace to those with "special needs." He shared with me that he was hurt and upset by another child that scribbled all over a picture he drew as part of a poster meant to be given to Rachel after the show. He came to me with a gruff and defeated face because the girl had ruined the art he had spent so much time on. The girl who did it was both mentally and physically challenged.
"Isaac," I said, "Do you know how you are allergic to peanuts?"
"Yes."
"That is a 'special need' you have. Did you see others in the room who had other special needs? Some had leg braces, glasses, hearing aids, or needed help learning or understanding. When we see that, we need to show special grace. Do you know that when your friends don't eat PB & J sandwiches around you or people don't get peanuts for snack on an airplane, they are demonstrating a special grace to you?"
"Oh."
"Do you remember when we were patient with Abigail when she was a baby? She would put your cars in her mouth or knock down your towers because that was the stage her brain was at, and that was how she learned. Well, that is how it is with some kids (who may even be much older than you) because that is how their brain is working, and that is how they are learning."
"But Mom, her parents saw and smiled when she scribbled on my picture."
"Did you ever think that maybe it is hard for her to color, and this was a big deal that she was able to hold a pen and mark the paper?"
"She didn't even hold the marker the right way, Mom."
"That's my point, honey. Maybe it was a big deal that she was even trying. Maybe your hard work encouraged her to try and color like you. We need to be mindful of others and consider them, especially if they have 'special needs' to help with."
I think he understood.
It is amazing to me that a day I planned to just be educational, fun, entertaining, and full of song, turned out to be so much more. When our eyes are open and our hearts are tender, days can be truly transforming. I pray that the lessons we learned today would not be forgotten. I pray that I would be continually thankful for my children (and my life), that I would be earnest to pray for others who don't know that they can lean on Christ as a firm foundation when the challenges in this life don't make sense and are too much to bear, that I would show special grace to others (in general, not just those who have "special needs"), and that I would use the challenging circumstances in this life to minister to others.
We had a date night at a very interesting Brazilian restaurant (that features meat on a sword served by roaming waiters...seriously meat on a sword...and my favorite, the pineapple that I ate too much of) with some friends on Friday so we divvied out the kids. Isaac had another sleep-over at his buddy Johnny's (he was a very good boy and they had a great time yet again) and Abigail stayed with Gramma and Papa.
Isaac before his hair cut :)
Coloring like Dad
Tonight at his school for "Kindergarten Round-up"
Celebrating him with a special date to get frozen yogurt and a soy vanilla steamer
The kids were in the bath and I had to capture "real life" around our house. We are really good at cleaning up in a hurry when people come over (even if that means taking everything in sight and throwing it in the nearest closet or drawer). My friends who always comment how clean our home is "all the time" never believe me when I way it's not (because they have probably never seen it).
I took ASL in college and taught a little to the kids when they were too young to talk. Prior to having kids, when I was a Realtor, I was able to sign with a deaf client. Though I was slow and didn't remember much, she was thankful that I cared enough to try (I have to imagine that it feels like being in another country and finding a person who can speak a few words of broken English...even a little bit is refreshing). As a mommy, it was wonderful to to get Isaac to tell me "more, please, all done..." I really believe that it helped us to communicate and eliminate many tantr
ums that tend to arise when little ones want to tell us something that we do not understand.
married, had a second daughter named Leah who was born deaf (which was her inspiration for teaching sign), and had a third daughter named Lucy who was born with both spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Can you imagine?!?!
ng wonderful from the challenges she has in her family. I was touched when she shared of the joy she had meeting her first daughter...and I was broken thinking how someone could so all this without the strength that comes from knowing that we have a sovereign, good, powerful God who holds us up when we are weak (I don't know that for sure, but I am pretty confident from what she has shared in person and in print). I know I would not have seen the good without knowing that the Lord is good. I have to imagine that she has battled bitterness, despair, doubt, fear, anger, hopelessness, weakness...I pray that God uses all this to point her to Himself. The kids prayed that too. They kept asking if Rachel knows Jesus and wanted to pray for her.
