I had many scary thoughts when I contemplated starting a blog about sweet Erik. Mostly, "no, I can't write," ... "ug, I don't want to be that transparent," ... "what on earth would I say?"
Nevertheless, I really wanted to find others out there who were sharing the same experience. "Where are blogs with aging Downs adults?" I wondered. "Are the parents/siblings of these individuals not computer people or are they working so hard to care for their loved one they're just exhausted?" Over the 25 months I've been blogging there have been a handful of people in the same circumstance who have reached back to me for which I'm thankful.
Now, looking back, I'm so happy I wrote. This blog gave Erik a voice. It helped us include others in his life, especially family members and friends who loved Erik but didn't live nearby. It has given me a priceless journal of the last 2 years of his life. I enjoyed sharing all the funny things he did. Friends who hadn't met him got to know him through reading. From this blog, people from many countries around the world read about him. This boggles my mind.
As I wind down this last chapter of "Hi, this is Erik," I thought I'd list my favorite blogposts and why. But as I spent time reviewing all the posts it became real hard for me to choose favorites. I loved revisiting the posts where Erik was having a good day and was determined to shower me with sweetness. The memories they bring back are the sweetest in the world. And the ones where he'd wordlessly communicate something--precious. And I loved telling you about his interesting life, expecially how much he loved food, laughing, teasing and singing. His simple sweetness was real and writing about it became a privelege for me.
I thank you for reading. For commenting. For praying. And going through this journey with us. Your comments encouraged me in ways I could never express. You helped me not feel so isolated. I wish I could give each of you a hug.
Reader, if you have a family member with some kind of disability, I'm sure there are many who would love to know what your days are like. I know I would. We need each other.
So, that's all for now. Thanks and much love from me.
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ReplyDeleteHi Liz, I'm not sure how I found your blog today but I just wanted to write and say thank you to you for sharing Erik's precious life. Your and your family's love for him, his for you, your abiding care for him, it is a beautiful thing. We have a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome and while it is sometimes so hard to think about the future, your blog has left me feeling peaceful. Sending you love.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, I cannot tell you how much your comment today blessed me. I'm so grateful you wrote, glad to know our family's story was helpful. I send love back to your family and your son. Bet he's sweet as sugar. :)
ReplyDeleteOh I'm two years late I guess! My sister in Law is almost 20 years old, and I've been looking for SOMEONE OUT THERE who writes about adults with DS (Christian), but I've only found toddlers... which is fine, but not what I'm looking for. Here's the thing, Meliza, my sister in law, is so outgoing and loving, but she hasn't really ever connected with her faith. She's quite spoiled by everyone around her (pricess of the house, how could she not be?), so we don't often ask her to think long and hard about God if she doesn't want to. But I know that God has made her like this with the purpose of bringing glory to His name, and I wonder how can I help make that a reality? She was in church's dance worship team and she ROCKED IT. Every singe choreography, she had it down, but the team fizzled out and now she has no activity to be part of church. She doesn't go to school anymore, and she doesn't LIKE to do writing and reading exercises, so reading the Bible doesn't really work (it's hard work, of course), but how I wished I could help her engage with God. I feed she doesn't really understand what it's about. I wonder if there is someone out there who can shed a little light on discipling someone with DS.
ReplyDeleteLucia, Thank you for writing about Meliza. She sounds like an amazing young woman!! Your heart for her is such a beautiful thing. I wonder, my brother Erik loved to sing. If Meliza also likes singing maybe a worship CD with songs about Jesus would be a fun way to bring God into her life. Singing touches such a deep place in people and introduces an avenue to talk about the song. I imagine there are CD's with Bible passages set to music, maybe one of those would be a possible idea for her. Don't give up trusting God for Him to open up a way for her to know Him. That's His desire for her. He will provide. You are right!! He will bring glory to His name through her!!! It will be wonderful!
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