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Nina's Newsletter>
Transitions
June 10, 2006
Hi, Special Readers,
Transition. It’s a word we read a lot in the world of
special needs. I have five children and the youngest two
have Down syndrome. My kids’ names and ages are Jesse 25;
Jake 23; Joey soon to be 19, Tess 11 and little Hope will
be three before you read this. My three sons have had
their own special needs but they never had IEPs.
Jesse is 25, good looking, has a great sense of humor
and yet is still single. He wants to transition out of
being single. Jesse’s special need is that he longs to be
married and hopes God has a soul mate waiting for him.
Jesse’s not so sure. He wonders if maybe, just maybe, the
woman that should have been his partner for life was
aborted somewhere in the past twenty five or so years.
After all, abortion has been legal in the United States for
thirty four years. Is his perfect partner missing? Jesse
is learning to trust God for every aspect of his life.
Jake has recently transitioned to Connecticut. As a
gifted musician with a “total package” (In the music
business, I am told, that means someone with good looks,
rock-star persona, great personality, and creative lyricist
and guitar player all in one) Jake has that artsy-moody
challenge. If his creativity is stifled, he falls into
experiential depression which often has turned into
clinical depression. Thankfully for Jake, with a lot of
prayer and Holy-Spirit-fortitude, his sparkle has returned
and he is completely committed to serving the Lord with his
life, including his music.
It has been a very difficult transition for me as
Jake’s mom to let him go. I must confess as Jake and his
dad pulled out of our driveway the day they left for
Connecticut, it took all my resolve to not frantically
chase after the car like a mad dog, begging Jake to change
his mind. Transition is hard on everyone.
Joey, our 6’2” athlete and Academic Honors recipient,
graduates from high school this week. Talk about
transition! This is the same little guy who once said to
me during the trauma of having an awful splinter pulled
from his upper thigh “Mom, I know I’ll have pain in this
life but does it have to hurt so much?” Joey has been a
mother’s dream. But, there was that time he decided to run
away at age 4. I just had to take a picture of him…he
stomped down the stairs, out the door and down the street
with his sleeping bag in one hand and his coca-cola long
neck piggy bank in the other. He was prepared to live on
his own! He never looked back.
I don’t want Joey to leave home yet. I love having
him around. I have another confession to share with you.
If I am honest with myself, one of the reasons I don’t want
Joey to live on campus next semester is that I’m not ready
to transition to having just my children with special needs
at home. I am dependent on this third son for “normalcy.”
I have loved sharing in his successes at school, on the
athletic fields, with his friends, and the parental pride
of knowing things come easy for him. Joey succeeds at
everything he does. We seldom have had to help him with
his homework. He always “got it.” In fact, he was adding
and subtracting time on a digital clock by age 3! I love
being a “successful” mom. I don’t always feel that way as I
advocate and raise my two daughters with disabilities. I
think Joey’s transition is going to be easier on him than
it will be for me.
I suspect that King Solomon was in transition when he
wrote the bulk of the book of Proverbs. I wouldn’t be
surprised if the good king’s son was graduating from high
school when the King wrote:
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my
commands in your heart,
For they will prolong your life many years and bring you
prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them
around your neck.
Write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win
favor and a good
Name in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your
paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes (*oh, son of academic
honors),
Fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to
your body and
Nourishment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:1-10 (*italics in verse 7 are mine)
Transition happens. Let’s learn to celebrate life and
the changes that come our way! I’m heading off to the
Awards Program at Joey’s high school. He’s put his piggy
bank away and his sleeping bag is stored under his bed – at
least until college begins in the fall.
‘Specially for You,
Nina
************************ All Content Copyright © 2006 Nina Fuller All Rights Reserved
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