Dear Lyla,
You are unique, one of a kind; my proudest accomplishment to date. I think you are perfect just the way you are. Many parents share my sentiments with regard to their own children, which is the natural order of things. You are easy to love; you are precocious, cute, lively, witty and have the vocabulary of a college sophomore. The attention that is showered on you by my college students makes you one lucky duck; you are loved Little One. I am grateful every day that I have been called to a profession that allows me to meet so many different families; one that allows me to become a part of my students’ extended family. How fortunate we both are to meet a variety of people, to share in their accomplishment, their joys and sometimes their sorrows. In the fall of 2005 I met a very special family; one that would become an extended part of ours. A beautiful and intelligent young lady came to college in Waverly and joined the speech team; this was before you were born and I traveled every weekend with a bunch of rowdy college kids all over the Midwest. Young Meaghan joined our team and those of us who knew her, and her family, would never be the same again. Megs was unique; energetic, goofy, loud, poised, talented and loyal. We were a close family on the speech team; each with his or her own special niche that contributed to the overall dynamic of our little merry band. When Meaghan first joined the team she was a bit reserved, we didn’t know much about her or her family. As time went on Megs began to feel more comfortable around us, began to trust us I think, and opened up about her family. There was one subject about which Meaghan was very guarded; her little brother Josh. It wasn’t until we first met Josh that we understood her reticence to open up. Josh was born with a disease at birth that altered his growth patterns and limited his intellectual capacity. Walking was hard for him, he was mostly confined to a wheel chair, and it was difficult at times to understand what Josh was trying to communicate. I am not sure what Meaghan thought our reaction would be to Josh but we thought he was the greatest. Josh had an awesome sense of humor and loved to tease the ladies, especially Tiffany. Josh adored Megs and she adored him right back. Well all loved Josh and he became a fixture at speech tournaments; his dad “Bear” would drive him to tournaments and he would hang out with the team. After Meaghan graduated Bear and Josh still came to tournaments to cheer on our team. Not only did Josh have fans on our team, he was quite the favorite with others as well. You see Little One, Josh was truly one of a kind; his enthusiasm for life was infectious. Although unable to walk unassisted, communicate without translation from those who knew him best or construct higher order thought patterns; Josh was a teacher. Josh taught those who knew him to focus on the present, to love with abandon and to appreciate those around us for who they are and not what we would wish them to be. One of the dangers of the disease that Josh lived with is a weakened immune system; today he lost his battle with the body he was born with. While I wish that Josh could still be here with Megs and Bear and my heart aches for the loss they feel tonight; he was perfect just the way he was born. We all have our parts in the play of life Little One and while some acts may be shorter than others they are no less impactful. At bedtime as we say our prayers we will pray that Josh’s family will find peace in the knowledge that tonight he dances with angels.
Letters To Lyla 