{"id":391,"date":"2010-10-06T13:28:32","date_gmt":"2010-10-06T13:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thinplaces\/2010\/10\/perfectly-human-more-than-words-by-stephanie-brock.html"},"modified":"2010-10-06T13:28:32","modified_gmt":"2010-10-06T13:28:32","slug":"perfectly-human-more-than-words-by-stephanie-brock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2010\/10\/perfectly-human-more-than-words-by-stephanie-brock.html","title":{"rendered":"Perfectly Human: More Than Words by Stephanie Brock"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"adambrock.jpg\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, all of the “Perfectly Human” posts in October will be stories of families and individuals with Down syndrome.<\/i><\/p>\n

When our
\nson Adam was ten days old my husband picked out a Bible verse for his life: “I shall not die but live, and tell of the works
\nof the Lord<\/i>” (Psalm 118:17). He chose this verse because four days after
\nAdam’s peaceful home birth he was rushed into intensive care with a
\nlife-threatening blood infection. He spent two weeks in the hospital recovering
\nfrom this event, during which time we were told that doctors suspected he had
\nDown Syndrome.<\/p>\n

Going from
\nhaving a healthy newborn with a life full of expectations ahead of him to
\nhaving a disabled child with a life full of unknowns was not an easy transition,
\nbut Adam’s sweet personality and larger-than-life eyes helped us along. Over
\nthe course of the next six months we waited to have Adam properly diagnosed as
\nwe tried instead to get to know the reality of the son before us. When he was
\nseven-months old Adam had to have open-heart surgery to repair the two defects
\nwith which he had been born. It was during this period, and ironically on the
\nday in which his tiny life hung most in the balance, that we received the final
\ndiagnosis: Trisomy 21<\/i>. Looking at him
\nlying in the bed with tubes everywhere, I couldn’t have cared less. “So be it,
\njust please give me my son back,” I pleaded with the Lord. He did, and Adam
\nbegan to thrive. He did not die, but indeed began to live<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam’s
\ndevelopment has always been quite delayed, and at the age of four he was given
\na second diagnosis of Autism because of his lack of speech. He is one of the
\nmost difficult pupils in his class at school–still nowhere near using the potty
\nat seven, and won’t hold a pencil except to throw it–but there is something
\nabout Adam that makes people stop and talk to him in the street. There is
\nsomething about the way he dances spontaneously to music anywhere, anytime,
\nthat makes people smile. There is something in his infectious joy at church,
\nthe way he strips off his clothing in ten seconds when we get to swimming club,
\nand the light in his eyes when he jumps over the hurdles at his sports class.
\nHe doesn’t care if he’s last, and neither does anyone else. Those who “get”
\nAdam know that it doesn’t matter to him the size of the step he takes, he’s so
\npleased that he took a step at all. <\/span><\/p>\n

As his
\nbrother Caleb will tell you, Adam does not speak, but he still manages to
\n“tell” of the works of the Lord with his life. He tells of the Lord who healed
\nhis heart through skilful hands, of patient and persevering teachers who pick
\nup the pencil again<\/i>, and of friends
\nwho want to spend time with him just to make him laugh. He tells of the beauty
\nof enjoying food and music and dancing with delight. He tells of the freedom of
\nliving without jealousy or greed or hate, and the fun of living with a lot of
\nmischief, and largely without any shoes or socks. I think one of Adam’s most
\nstunning gifts and talents, in fact, is that he is not burdened with words.
\nThere is a downside to not speaking, but since Adam doesn’t see it I choose to
\nbe ok with it too.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I
\nfirst learned of Adam’s diagnosis, the thought that came to mind was “How will
\nI know what to do for him?” This has often proved the most frustrating thing
\nthat Adam and I encounter, as I do frequently find myself wishing I knew how to
\nhelp him or understand him or communicate with him better. I’ve lost count of
\nhow many nights I’ve joined Adam in crying because I didn’t know what was wrong.
\nOr how many days I’ve shaken my fist at God for giving me more than I thought I
\ncould bear. But living day to day with someone is the best way to know what to
\ndo for and with them, and Adam and I have come a long way in the days we’ve
\nbeen given to be together. <\/span><\/p>\n

I would
\nhave to say that another of the Lord’s works through Adam is the journey that
\nhe helped me take. I know that I am different because of learning how to love
\nAdam, and that our family lives differently with him in our midst. We are
\ngrateful for our little, mischievous reminder that the Lord’s works are great
\nindeed, and we will continue to tell of them as long as we are able.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stephanie Brock lives in
\nAberdeen, Scotland with her husband Brian and sons Adam and Caleb. The family
\nis expecting their third child in March. Stephanie stays home with the boys and
\nis involved part-time in work to support children with special needs and their
\nfamilies in churches across Aberdeen.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, all of the “Perfectly Human” posts in October will be stories of families and individuals with Down syndrome. 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Two major life experiences have shaped her writing and her faith\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcaring for her mother-in-law as she battled cancer and welcoming her daughter Penny into the world after she was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. Both experiences expanded and enriched her understanding of what it means to be human and to receive each and every person as a gift.\u00c2\u00a0 A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, and the forthcoming A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House). Her essays have appeared in First Things, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Century, ChristianityToday.com, and Bloom, among other online venues.","sameAs":["http:\/\/amyjuliabecker.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/author\/amyjuliabecker"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}