I saw her today

I saw her today.......the mom who is so much like me.  I watched from a distance while she went through the motions of having her child evaluated for developmental delays.  She came in with few concerns, only following her doctors instructions to go through the testing process.  She left with her life forever changed.  Everyone did their job today, the testers, the office staff, the mom, even me.  And yet, a mom's heart was broken.  Her reality changed forever.  Her child is impacted by serious, global delays.  We were powerless to make the outcome any different.

I have been this mom, with a slight difference.  I knew from the very beginning that my children's conditions placed them at risk for developmental delays.  You know what?  It doesn't matter.  I believe it is equally hard to hear the numbers and percentages that identify the delays.  The process repeats itself over the years and it never gets any easier to hear the tough information. It reopens the wounds.  Every. Single. Time.

I wanted to take the pain away for this mom.  I saw the pain in her eyes as she rushed out to "find somewhere that she could cry".  I wanted to tell her that it would be okay.  That she would find a "new normal" and that she would love her child even more for the lessons and truth that he would reveal to her.  That every milestone will be even more precious because of the time and energy it would take to reach it.  But I couldn't.  It is too soon.  She must find her own way to process the information and to see the light that is ahead.

I hope I can tell her someday, about the precious blessings my children have been to me. About the hope and the strength that God gives parents as they struggle through the dark days.  I hope that I can support her through the process that is never easy but always necessary.  I hope I can help her see that her child is much more than his delays.  He is a beautiful, strong, gift from God.  I hope someday I can tell her.