”Why in the world does she keep having children?”‘

This thought raged through my mind as I watched a TV Program.

A small eight- year- old boy, wheelchair bound, kept alive with medication and a profound love of life, was being interviewed.

He suffered from a DNA transmitted disease resulting in little muscle control, pain, various other related conditions and a built in life expectancy of less than twelve years, usually much less.

His lovely mind was not affected.

He was home-schooled and had a gift for poetry and literature far beyond his years.

His devoted parents had compiled all his poems into a bestselling book full of love and beauty.

His own physical being seemed to have a radiance, almost an angelic acceptance of his circumstances.

He was aware of his life expectancy yet harboured no anger at fate or his parents, there was only love in him.

Watching it seemed he was infused with the soul of an ancient saint.

He read aloud from some of his works. I can still hear his voice in my memory.

 I was astonished at the depth of his feelings.

His mother had just given birth to another child with the same condition and was now pregnant with her third.

Any child she bore would have this disorder.

 I could not understand.

Why bring a child into a life of pain with the knowledge that they would shortly die?

How cruel. The more I thought about it the less I could understand it.

Many, many years have passed. I am now in my own declining years.

Now at last I understand, just as these two parents must have

Life is just that precious.

 It does not matter one bit if you cannot move or are in constant pain, or cannot comprehend the full nature of your being.

You are alive, you can rejoice, you have life within you.

One can experience love, see the sky, smell the rain and nature from even the smallest of windows, precious moments, precious hours when life is gentle.

 Life is a gift to be embraced in tiny or larger amounts, whatever you can grasp and lived in thankfulness, graciousness, beauty and love.

Written by Barbara Smith

See all articles by The Thursday Writers