Dumas 4: MAKE A WISH

Dumas 4

Before we are moms, we are women. Before we are women, we are girls. Before we are girls we are children. Few things have stayed constant in my life through all of these stages. My family, my faith and the desire to be a mother. I loved baby dolls as a child. I would enter a world where I was in control of those around me and they had to do what I told them. I foolishly thought that would happen when I became a mother. When I was a girl, I decided I would have 3 children. Two girls and a boy, just as my mother had. I foolishly thought that I got to decide these things when I became a mother. When I became a woman, I decided I would also have a wonderful career alongside these 3 perfect children. I foolishly thought I could do it all. As I lay here in bed recovering from a very simple surgery that had lasting effects on my ability to have more children, there is a photo in my direct line of sight. Its a black and white photo that I cherish. It is from a vacation we took before Emma was even 1 year old. We went to Colorado for a week in the summer to escape the heat of Texas, and the busyness of life. On our way home we stopped in Dumas, TX for a picture. There are not that many people who have the honor of having a last name like Dumas. It is often mispronounced, I'm sure my husband was teased terribly as a child, and I'm certain my daughters will hate it when they hit the 'tween years. But I married into this name. It came with the man I love so I like it. Just before you get to Dumas, Texas, there is a sign that reads "Dumas 4" indicating that you are just 4 miles from the thriving metropolis of Dumas, Texas (population 13,747, a quarter the size of the college I went to). I made my husband and my two daughters (and even my cousin Caitlin who came with us on this trip) get out and take a picture with this sign. At the last second, as the baby was crying and the toddler was whining, I just looked up and snapped one last photo of this sign. I eventually had a black and white made of it and I've always loved it but the "4" part of "Dumas 4" never meant much to me. I always planned that our family would be a family of 5 eventually. Today though, it reminds me that when I snapped that photo, on the side of the highway, in 100 degree heat, God knew I would need a sign. Dumas 4. It is, and always was, His plan for my life. I'm thankful for my sign. I needed a sign. I'd like to have that sign. I wonder what the fine is for stealing a sign that reads "Dumas 4." It might be worth it.

Friday, December 29, 2006

MAKE A WISH

Sometime in October, John had this great idea to go to Disney World for Christmas. We weren’t going to buy each other gifts (yeah right) and we’d limit the gifts for the kids. We invited my family to come along as well so my parents, Leslie, Craig and his girlfriend Carrie all came too! At some point in our trip, Carrie noticed a child wearing a “Make a Wish” button. This was a badge showing that he was given this trip by the Make a Wish Foundation. This organization grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. (http://www.wish.org/) Carrie stopped his father and said, “I’m a wish kid too! They sent my family to Disney World when I was a kid” You see Carrie has Cystic Fibrosis. You wouldn’t know it from looking at her. She’s young and vibrant. She’s beautiful and funny. Carrie fights CF daily though. She has medications and treatments that don’t take a vacation when she does. This man stopped and looked at her and said, “Well, you look like you’re doing pretty well!” She went on to explain her condition and all the treatments she’d been through that got her to this point. He just couldn’t stop looking at her. His 4 year old son had been born with Leukemia. It was obvious that his family hadn’t allowed themselves to look past one day at a time. To see Carrie, so full of life, you could see the hope come over him. He turned to her and said, “Would you mind going up those stairs and telling my wife what you just told me. It would mean so much to her to see a “Wish Kid” all grown up.” Carrie just smiled and bounced up the stairs to greet the little boy’s mom. I cannot stop thinking about that moment this sick little boy’s father looked at Carrie and saw a chance for his son. It has made me think long and hard about my own children. I made a wish too when I was much younger. I wished for healthy children, just like we all do. God granted my wish. I don’t know why Carrie has CF, I don’t know why that little boy was born with Lukemia. I don’t know why God doesn’t grant every parent’s wish for healthy children. But I do know why God sent Carrie on this trip to Disney World. She was able to show that man that although his wish for a healthy child might not have been answered yet, his next wish for a wonderful life for his sick little boy has a chance. Carrie is proof that some wishes do come true.

2 comments:

April said...: OK, now that I have wiped away my tears, I can post my comment. Wow, awesome story, crazy how God puts people in the right places at the right times. Sounds like you had a great trip!; December 29, 2006 at 10:29 AM
Unknown said...: wow! I don't really know what to say besides THANK YOU! It makes me feel so good to make other people happy! I feel so blessed to have you and your family in my life! I love you all very much. It is hard to imagine that this is what some people think when they see me!!; January 8, 2007 at 7:55 PM