The Gift of Subtle Touches

I've written before that my wonderful friend, Tammy, encouraged me to start writing about Thomas' journey some months ago. I wondered to myself, "What could I possible write about that could make a difference in the lives of people that are helping their child or children manage hearing loss?" Well, I don't believe that I've answered the question yet. However, I wonder sometimes if writing about Thomas might mean writing about all the struggles of those around our family, those people that are introduced to our world, and touch it in sometimes subtle, yet miraculous ways. These people bring joy to our lives, perspective, and yes, help our little family get further down our path while we try our best to navigate this crazy, crazy journey.

So, here is my post for today. God has given our family the gift of spiritual friends through our church. You see, my husband and I took a marriage class at our church to give our marriage a tune-up, to help us get our marriage back onto the path that God intended from the very beginning and to bring us closer together...more connected which, in turn, helps us with Thomas and his sister, Sidney.

The people in our marriage class ultimately became our small group at church. We had our first small group discussing this past Sunday. At the end of discussion, we all had the opportunity to bring forth prayer requests for the week. We had families that needed prayer for upcoming surgeries, job uncertainties, cancer treatments, and medical diagnosis. These amazing individuals made me realize something...I never prayed for a healing for Thomas. I never, even once, asked God to restore Thomas' hearing. I have prayed for a lot as our family walked down this path with Thomas. I have prayed that as parents we would have the strength, compassion, conviction, patience and love to help Thomas become all that God wanted him to be in life. I have prayed for a 'clear and direct' path to cochlear implant surgery and activation. I have prayed for God to nourish Thomas during all the difficult times we have had with his eating issues. Not once, not once, have I prayed for healing. This week, I have asked myself several times, "Kat, why have you never prayed for healing?"

When Thomas' hearing loss was initially detected and later diagnosed, I was angry...freakin' angry, beyond words. I remember hating to hear the words, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." These words were said during our small group. For the first time, I felt a sense of calm when I heard these words, because they are true. I realize that God has given Sean and me the gift of Thomas. I realized that this unexpected gift is the reason that I never prayed for healing.

So, let me thank the following people that touched my life during this very short meeting...they didn't know that they were touching my life so deeply, but they did.

Jennifer M
Greg M
Jennifer G
Liz K

I have come to realize that subtle touches from new friends are a gift from God. Thank you!