Easter Weekend

Isaac and his True Love

We spent Easter afternoon at a charming cafe surrounded by amazing gardens and a kids bouncy house.  The service was painfully slow, but no matter, the kids were in heaven.

Isaac spotted a girl from his French class and ran into her arms.  I knew instantly that this was his true love by the way he chased her.  She's a speedy sprinter, and cuter than anything, so I approve.

I told Isaac, "NO kissing!"

"Mom," he replied, "I only kiss her when the teacher isn't looking."  This isn't my DNA, that's for sure.

After our meal, I chatted with a Muslim woman from South Africa.  She asked about Oliver and how I came to accept having a child with special needs.  She told me that one of her friends just gave birth to twins--one healthy, the other with severe brain damage.   I suggested that we all get together.

That's when I remembered my recent prayer:  God, show me what I'm supposed to do in Zambia.

Today we had lunch at another quaint spot, and a couple of tables away there was a kid with Down syndrome.  Well, the truth is that I didn't really know for sure that he had that extra chromosome,  so I stared.  His parents stared back at Oliver.  Then we just risked embarrassment and introduced ourselves.

We swapped stories and became instant friends.  We decided to launch a support group for moms with special needs kids.  Apparently in Zambia a child with disability is usually hidden away, which is really too bad.  I've been blessed by how many people--both in Zambia and in the States--have loved on Oliver.