Instead of New Years' Resolutions, I have done a "phrase of the year" the last two years. It works better for me. This year's is "Be Present" which roughly translates to "put down the iPad, iPhone, computer..log off Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.. and look at the miracle in front of you. Don't waste this time." I tell you this from my computer.. oops! not to talk about resolutions but to tell you that I wanted to delete my Facebook account because I just don't have the ability to halfway do things. I'm either on it all the time or I need it to be gone altogether. But… I didn't. Because, as infuriating as Facebook political debates can be, as much as I waste hours of my life watching everyone else "living" their lives in pictures and status updates, it is also a great resource for me as a special needs parent.
I've lived this life long enough now - almost five years?! - that I know that when you need information on feeding, treatments, providers, the best resources are other moms and dads. I have a few I can text, but the greatest pool of people I have to consult with is on.. Facebook. So, for all of its evils - and there are a LOT - it actually can help me find answers. I can't even begin to tell you the friends I have made on Facebook - other special needs parents, NICU parents still in the weeds, new to feeding tube parents, and those who are years ahead of us. It's also where I can reach the largest pool of our NICU nurses, college friends, high school friends and former coworkers. You never know where your answer will come from. I've had people I haven't spoken to in years or seen in over a decade message me with an idea, a suggestion or most recently suggestions for a second opinion we've been contemplating. These are people who don't have any reason to help other than…they're good people. They care about a child in need of some help. So, they take time out of their very busy schedules to do just that.. however much or little they have to offer, they offer to help. It blows me away and brings me to tears, every single time. It's incredible to be at this point in my life, when God lets me see that some of those "friends for a season" were truly friends for a reason, even 12+ years later.
Beyond Facebook (because there still are real human beings out in the world, ready to interact face to face… *gasp*), I have been brought to tears this week alone by a kind EMT, our pharmacist and a nurse at our pediatrician's office. People I don't know well at all but who invest in Addie, whether she's in their care for a 15 minute ambulance ride, we're simply calling to make an appointment, or they're handing us medicine for her, rarely actually seeing her in person. Seriously, someone called to try to get us to renew the News Sentinel tonight, and I mentioned that we have had a sick little girl this week, the caller asked if she was ok.. which I said that she was a 4 year old former preemie and that she just had some health complications from that.. she almost sounded teary! The sales pitch stopped, she told me she would be praying blessings on my little girl and she was sorry for taking up my time. Ya'll, there are still great people in the world, even in the world of telemarketing PSA as a former direct marketer, making thousands of calls a day, be kind to telemarketers! They're just doing their job!! The genuine care and concern people show for her reminds me that there is still so much GOOD in the world. People may be immune to a lot of things these days - and some people are just jerks - but a sick little girl turns them all into mush.. and it's one of the greatest gifts of this journey we're on. Not only do we get to see miracles regularly, but we get to see the best part of humanity.
And because all of this love and mush wouldn't be complete without a picture, here is little miss on her way from a check up today, soothing her hurt feelings and white coat syndrome with an ice cream cone.. as it snowed outside.. girl after my own heart! :)
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