Looking Back

Our son Ray at three years old

It’s been a rainy spring, but now that tulips and daffodils brighten the landscape, I count the rain a blessing. My former neighbor doesn’t think as fondly of water as she used to. In February, her apartment flooded because of a sudden winter thaw that burst the sprinkler above her. All her furniture was ruined. She recently started over, moving across the state line into a different senior apartment building, and she’s thrilled with her new digs and furniture. Last night she gave me a tour, and I celebrated with her how the Lord has provided. 

From one Bible verse to another I am reminded that God sends rain on the earth, and the result may be bad as well as good. The same plague of hail that battered Egypt helped Moses deliver the Israelites to the Promised Land—a fantastic outcome for God’s people but disaster for Pharaoh and Egypt.

In 1986, doctors discovered that our baby-to-be had hydrocephalus, a condition that could cause mental disabilities. He would face surgery immediately after birth. Talk about a rainstorm! What a scary time—we didn’t know what the future held for Ray. When they predicted he would not walk or talk, I cried and prayed. Step by uncertain step, I learned to trust the Lord through c-section delivery and each new phase of his care and growth.

Fast forward three years, and as the photo above shows, Ray could ride his rocking horse and soon would walk and run. By that age, he could argue with his big sister like any little brother. Sometimes we wished he would just be quiet—he got so talkative. He still is today.

I’m proud to say that in 2013, Ray graduated from Shepherds College www.shepherdscollege.edu. He has special needs and lives in a supported apartment. In May he starts his ninth year with a local nursery, working part-time through spring, summer, and fall.  

Looking back, my concern for Ray’s future differed greatly from reality. God sent the flood of fear and from it brought a harvest of joy beyond anything we could imagine.