And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6
At times, especially those that are the most trying, the only way that I can receive peace is by studying my Bible. While this practice always brings me comfort, I know that it is something that I fail to do often enough. Recently I have become fascinated with Moses and studying his character. As a child I was taught of Moses’ unfortunate beginnings, having been born during a time at which the all Hebrew males were ordered by the Egyptian pharaoh to be killed at birth. But God’s plans being greater, Moses’ life was spared as he was incidentally raised in the pharaoh’s palace. I was also told of Moses leading the people of Israel, his people, out of Egypt by parting the seas, and then eventually presenting his people with God’s commandments. Undoubtably an eminent prophet, it is Moses’ shortcomings that are intriguing to me. With God, Moses was able to accomplish great things that at times he even seemed to question. “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:10-12. Though God did not anoint Moses with the ability to speak well, He allowed him to fulfill his prophecies with the assistance of his brother Aaron. By studying Moses I am brought solace that Jacob and Maggie will accomplish great things in spite of the challenges that face, as they have been made in God’s likeness. By indirectly studying Aaron I am reminded that God’s plan is much greater than my own, and I am given satisfaction knowing that Tyler and I have been blessed with the responsibility and privilege of being the voice for our children.
To date, this has been the most fast-paced summer that Tyler and I have experienced since Jacob’s birth. Last month Jacob became consumed with excitement and accidentally put his hand through our living room window resulting in a sizeable gash in his wrist. This was the most frightening ordeal I have been through, but Jacob was a trooper through it all. At the emergency room the nurses said that they had never seen an injury like his that hadn’t resulted in serious nerve or ligament damage. Amazingly the cut was essentially only a bad flesh wound that required 20-30 stitches (we lost count). Jacob was extremely cautious with his wound while it was healing, and he is now doing great and sporting a serious battle scar.
Shortly after Jacob’s trip to the ER it was Maggie’s turn to visit the hospital. Maggie underwent an EEG to determine whether or not she was having seizure activity. She did great during the entire process. I had been suspecting activity for a few months now, but her EEG was “normal”. Even though there was no seizure activity shown, the results have not put me at ease. In addition to her EEG, Maggie’s neurologist has ordered a sedated MRI for later this month to look for abnormalities that might indicate seizure activity.
Our summer has not been consumed only with doctor appointments, however. Jacob and Maggie went on a field trip to a near by theme park, and they absolutely loved it. We have been able to visit the lake again, and even to the movie theatre. And while it appears that Jacob still loves watching fireworks, it seems that Maggie is not a fan. My favorite aspect of the summer though, has been being able to observe Jacob and Maggie in therapy. It is humbling to see how hard that both work each day, and it makes me so appreciative of all the hard work that the CBTs put in. It truly does take a special person to work with autism patients. Currently Maggie is working on potty training, and she is doing wonderful with it. I never knew how powerful of an incentive Toy Story could be. On the same topic, the rate of Jacob’s accidents has decreased greatly, and he is even requesting to use the restroom independently. We are expecting a diaper free home very soon.
Today I am thankful for a summer “vacation”. Without it we would be hard-pressed for fitting in all of Jacob’s and Maggie’s appointments.
Count It All Joy 