Angels are messengers that link man to
God. They are here to protect and show
us things we might not otherwise see. They are pure, uncorrupted, and manifest
goodness. They are a source of comfort and inspiration. They live among us. There are the notable angels like
Gabriel, Michael and Raphael who announce themselves loudly and with great
conviction. They spew forth words of
immense wisdom and holy magnitude. “Hark,” “I am an angel of the Lord,” “Do not be afraid,” “The Lord is with
you,” “Nothing is impossible with God,”
and so forth. Then there are the quiet angels
that watch and wait until they are needed.
No matter how an angel appears to
those who are lucky enough to gain an audience, there is one thing for
certain...they are here to tell us
something very important and we need to pay attention. Although angels usually come to us quietly,
if we are not listening they find it necessary to seek our attention in the
most extraordinary ways.
We have an angel who resides in
our house and most of the time he believes emphatically that we are not paying
attention. In many ways our angel is a quiet angel. He lives in a world that
our life experiences do not allow us to enter. He speaks a language only he can
understand. In an effort to get us to listen he will resort to screaming,
slamming doors, and pounding on the furniture.
He has even been known to punch holes in our walls and has broken a
window or two to get his message across.
He watches Sponge Bob on the couch in
the living room and does cannonballs in our pool. He loves bananas and
pizza and our Grandma’s cookies. He has been known to steal food right out
of the refrigerator. He pulls our daughters’ hair and laughs hysterically
as he steals their stuff and runs like the wind!
He can’t read or write but spends
hours at our kitchen table composing important notes. Our refrigerator is covered with hundreds of
documents written in fat red marker. And
he waits…hoping someday we will finally comprehend their importance. He misses us every time we walk
out the door and waits by the window until we return whether it is for ten minutes or ten days. His love is perfect and it touches a
place inside you that cannot be described with words but must be experienced
with your heart.
This blog is the story of the angel
who lives in our house. It is a simple story really, a story about an ordinary
family who was sent an angel. It is a
story about a boy made perfect in the eyes of God who taught us all how to
live. This boy has shown us that even
simple lives can have great power.
This boy, now a man, has shown
his family and everyone who is blessed enough to be loved by him how to live.
*This is actually a portion of the first chapter of the book I have been trying to write for the past 5 years.
I have only just started reading this site. The tears are flowing. I had the TREMENDOUS blessing of being Scottman's teacher for two years. Even more blessed to be a neighbor of the family. God is truly using Steve and Joanne to work His miracle. Scotty is His miracle and there was never a day that Scott didn't teach ME something. Awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteOhhh Mrs Baston. There is a special place in heaven for you. Hopefully its very close to the special place in heaven for mothers of 4 boys :)
ReplyDeleteI have always been connected to Scotty someway or another via the bond our family has had since we moved to Berkley when I was 5. I love all the memories I have of him from working with him at Cannon Elementary, to the times when my mom would babysit him and he would want to play guitar as loud as he could, or when I would scare him and he would get so much joy out of it.
Enjoy these sandbox moments (extremely well titled). You deserve every one of them. Scotty has given everyone around him, including me, a different perspective on life and I thank him and I thank you and Steve for that.
Continue with this blog as much as you can, Scotty willing, because people like myself want to remain close even from so far away.
Love you always Joanne,
Brian
I'm so glad that I found this blog (after you found mine!) and that I can read another's perspective of Angelman. My brother has it, he's the only person in my world that I've ever met with it, and my family's way of handling it is the only one I've ever known.
ReplyDeleteScotty is so fortunate to have the parents and sisters that he does, and you are so blessed with the ability to find that shiny sparkling silver-lining that defines the person, not the syndrome. If you weren't already predisposed to being a great person, Scotty sure must have had some influence in you becoming one.
Sometimes I look at my brother Daniel and question his ability to understand or remember anything. He gets excited to visit Grandma, but I don't know if he remembers those plans five minutes later. But along the way, he knows every turn and every exit off the highway (and can point out every restaurant along the way too!), and if we take a different route, he gets upset. Maybe he's brilliant and just can't communicate. We'll never know for sure.
Scott, thank you for your kind words! Your brother Daniel sounds a lot like my Scotty. He has an uncanny sense of direction and he too sees his world in black and white. He can't read, but can recognize all restaurant and store signs too. We are working off the assumption that he is a genius, but like you said we will never know for sure. Scotty has changed us all and made us all a better version of ourselves. We make a conscious effort every single day to find the good, even on a particularly horrific day!
DeleteHello. My Name is Eleanor. I looked up "Angel" today on a google search. God led me to your post. I wanted to thank you for posting your story about your angle. It really brought tears to my eyes. I have not met your son/Angel, But may I dare say it!!! I love him to.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a eye opener to me. It just says, enjoy the little things in life that god has given us. You helped me see that there is beauty in our ordanary little lifes. I have children to,MY gift from God was to be a MOM.
Take care and God bless