Posted in Connecting with God
Patricia Ann's blog has inspired me to share a story that's deeply personal to me.
It was a year ago this 26th. A young baby was born to an unwed mother. Ryan's future was grim. A virus ravaged his body while still inside his mother and his brain, while functional, would never communicate well with his body. Despite this, he was given the best care by his nurses. Holding that tiny life and singing to him in the NICU was an honor. His peaceful breathing was soothing. Everything else in life quickly faded away as I held him.
In a few weeks, Ryan went home with his mother. She and her boyfriend learned to care for him, and in the process of caring, their hearts were changed forever. They knew their time with him could be very short and so they photographed each day with him. They bathed him and changed him. His feedings were done by a stomach tube. He was seldom off oxygen fed through a tiny canula to his nose. They held him and rocked him and gently nuzzled him.
Eventually, Ryan caught a cold and wasn't strong enough to fight it off. He died on a quiet afternoon in June, surrounded by those who loved him most. Our prayers over him and the family were peaceful and loving. I didn't want to see this precious life go, but from the beginning of the end, God received him as lovingly as any parent could.
In my eulogy of baby Ryan, I recalled moments that were special to me and ones many of the more than 100 present could relate to. What I hoped everyone understood in that painful time of loss was that Ryan taught us how to love, without saying a word. He drew people together, allowing his father to connect with his own father and restoring a relationship that had been on the rocks.
Two months into his life, he was video taped by a couple of high school students as part of a high school project. Only recently did we discover that both of these students were having a hard time making sense of life. Few things mattered to them and they were spiraling into destructive patterns. Yet their own lives were changed by the impact of viewing this baby. The way Ryan's parents cared for him moved them. They were able to make sense of their own lives and instead of dropping out of life, they have a renewed sense of purpose and their lives have turned around.
None of this would have happened if Ryan had been born without his condition. I know I wouldn't have chosen to walk down this path on my own. But God knew what he was doing. I don't know why people are born deaf or blind or succumb to crippling conditions like mine, but I do know that God can take one life, no matter how small, and impact so many. He can teach us to laugh, to love, and to live.
It was a year ago this 26th. A young baby was born to an unwed mother. Ryan's future was grim. A virus ravaged his body while still inside his mother and his brain, while functional, would never communicate well with his body. Despite this, he was given the best care by his nurses. Holding that tiny life and singing to him in the NICU was an honor. His peaceful breathing was soothing. Everything else in life quickly faded away as I held him.
In a few weeks, Ryan went home with his mother. She and her boyfriend learned to care for him, and in the process of caring, their hearts were changed forever. They knew their time with him could be very short and so they photographed each day with him. They bathed him and changed him. His feedings were done by a stomach tube. He was seldom off oxygen fed through a tiny canula to his nose. They held him and rocked him and gently nuzzled him.
Eventually, Ryan caught a cold and wasn't strong enough to fight it off. He died on a quiet afternoon in June, surrounded by those who loved him most. Our prayers over him and the family were peaceful and loving. I didn't want to see this precious life go, but from the beginning of the end, God received him as lovingly as any parent could.
In my eulogy of baby Ryan, I recalled moments that were special to me and ones many of the more than 100 present could relate to. What I hoped everyone understood in that painful time of loss was that Ryan taught us how to love, without saying a word. He drew people together, allowing his father to connect with his own father and restoring a relationship that had been on the rocks.
Two months into his life, he was video taped by a couple of high school students as part of a high school project. Only recently did we discover that both of these students were having a hard time making sense of life. Few things mattered to them and they were spiraling into destructive patterns. Yet their own lives were changed by the impact of viewing this baby. The way Ryan's parents cared for him moved them. They were able to make sense of their own lives and instead of dropping out of life, they have a renewed sense of purpose and their lives have turned around.
None of this would have happened if Ryan had been born without his condition. I know I wouldn't have chosen to walk down this path on my own. But God knew what he was doing. I don't know why people are born deaf or blind or succumb to crippling conditions like mine, but I do know that God can take one life, no matter how small, and impact so many. He can teach us to laugh, to love, and to live.
Posted by 
Posted by 
