Right Place, Right Time

On Sunday Scott and I found out that a couple in our ward had their baby boy last Sunday. Something a little special about him is that he is missing fingers on his right hand so as soon as I found out about this sweet boy I wanted to meet him. I couldn't believe the odds that we would come in contact again with someone with this unique situation in our own ward. We didn't know this couple very yet but I was anxious to talk to them. After Sacrament meeting I jumped up to go talk to the family and explained to the father Nate who I was. He knew a little about me from when I played the cello in our ward moths ago. The funny thing is, his wife told him I was missing fingers on my hand and played backwards but I'm sure they didn't think much about it after that. Scott and I talked to him for a while about their boy James and how they didn't know anything about his hand until he was born. He is actually a miracle baby for several reasons so missing fingers is truly no big deal. He was excited to talk to us and find out how I have dealt with it my whole life. Nate expressed how they have wondered if they should set limitations for him and Scott and I both told him absolutely not. Baby James will be able to do anything and everything he sets his mind to. My parents were always so positive with me growing up and made it such a special thing for me. My mom would talk to the kids in my class in elementary explaining all the things I could do and how special I truly was! That had a big impact on me and shaped my attitude for the rest of my life. Scott told Nate about how he never knew someone with a hand like mine until he met me and how nothing has stopped me no matter what and I just make it work!

Nate and his wife would love to talk to us more about how to deal with this situation and my experiences so they invited us to dinner next Sunday and I'm trilled to be able to share some of my experiences. I often think of how Mom was so comforted when I was born when she remembered Becky, a girl she went to school with at a young age who was missing fingers on her hand and played the flute. The night I was born she constantly remembered this young girl and knew I would be just fine and it gave her so much peace. What a difference it made in my life that my parents were always so encouraging and believed in me. I cry every time I think of when my Mom watched me from the kitchen window as a tried for over an hour to figure out how to do a flip on the rings of our swing set. I worked at it and worked at it and finally flipped over all by myself. My mom was so excited to hear me running inside to here to tell her I did it! That is such a sweet memory for me and I'm so grateful and excited to share my experiences with this young family. I know we are in the right place at the right time and I hope we will be a comfort to them!