Itinerary Change: Holland Instead of Italy

A few years ago, one of my fellow teachers shared a message from a parent of one of her students. She compared planning a trip to Italy to planning the birth of a healthy baby and then changing the itinerary to Holland to having a child with special needs. It was very well worded and it comes to mind here and there for me. I thought about it when I was pregnant. I was preparing for Italy, but kept in mind that I could arrive in Holland without any control over it. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't have a trip, I wouldn't want to touch up on my Dutch, I wouldn't want to see all the sights that Holland had to offer, I wouldn't want to share my vacation with everyone around me, I wouldn't have the time of my life, or I wouldn't love that experience as much as one in Italy. I would just have to shift gears to tour Holland rather than Italy.

Having a child with special needs is something every mother faces when she becomes pregnant. So many factors come into play, that really...I believe...you have to let go and let God control his creation. Now, that's not to say that there aren't preventative measures you can take as you prepare to house this creation or conceive this creation. It is responsible to take care of yourself, your health, your environment, etc. But some things are out of our control.

I prayed every day for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy newborn baby, I still thank the Lord in my prayers for Fletcher's health, I was and am still forever thankful that he recovered so well from the accident on June 15th, and I always pray for continued health for him and his parents. But in the back of my mind during the pregnancy, I would wonder what if...? As I imagined "what if," the analogy from the child's mother came to mind frequently...one of those emails I could have swiftly deleted.

I thought of that email and of the children with Down Syndrome that I have personally worked with or known when I read this blog post. Again this post was on my friend's site as one of the posts that had the most impact on her life in 2010. Not only did I put myself in the mother's position, but I was deeply reminded of how innocent and truly unconditional the love from a child can be. Please read Nella's Birth Story to understand the many emotions a mother may go through when faced with an unexpected trip to Holland. Please check on Nella now, as she is reaching her first birthday to find out how you can help her family Pay It Forward.