I have a dream...IVIG day #2 (Round 9)
Peace.
Unity.
Happiness.
Equality.
Health.
Our children also have dreams. They want bigger and better, asking and hoping for unfortunately more than we can sometimes give them.
But that doesn't stop us from telling them to chase their dreams.
Instead, we tell them to dream bigger.
Grab that falling star and make a wish.
Chase that rainbow, because you never know if you will find gold at the end.
If we stop them from dreaming big, then we are thinking too small.
I have dreams for all of our children.
I want them to love big,
enjoy success,
show empathy,
complain less,
appreciate small victories,
and never, never, ever give up hope.
This week, Hunter has mentioned his "what he wants to be when he grows up." I haven't prompted these conversations- we saw smoke one day when we were driving, and as we got out of the car at home, he said, "I want to be a fireman when I grow up! I want to put out the fires. Peyton- you be a policeman, and I will be a fireman."
On the way to the hospital, as we saw the tractors, bulldozers, and dirt piles, he told me, "Mommy- I want to be a construction worker when I grow up!"
But then, yesterday, the dream that made the biggest impact on me, was as we were in the hospital, and we were heading together to the restroom, rolling his IV pole, walking by the rooms of these little cancer patients...
"Mommy? When I grow up, I want to be a doctor."
Surprised, I stopped. I knelt right down next to him, eye to eye, and said, "What makes you want to be a doctor, Hunter?"
"I want to be the one to put the IV's in."
Whether this answer was just purely from experience, or just what his little brain told him to reply at that time, I believe in my heart that my empathetic little man, who has endured 9 IV insertions in the past year, countless pricks, "talking appointments," supplements, hours of therapy inside while the neighborhood kids are running around outside...
my little man gets it.
And no one, ever, can tell me to stop him from dreaming big.
He is diagnosed with a cognitive disability, something people call Autism.
He is diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disorder, and his body fights everyday to not attack its own healthy tissue, including his brain matter.
He might be diagnosed this year with ADD, due to his inability to maintain focus in the classroom.
He doesn't always have the right words to say, his social skills are a little awkward, and he can have a short fuse. But then again, don't we all?
Last year in January, I challenged everyone to do one thing that scares you. For if your dreams don't slightly frighten you, they just aren't big enough.
And last year, I also recommended choosing a word for 2014. Looking back, my word was Recovery.
Fitting, don't you think?
So for 2015, what is your new word?
One word, describing your aspirations, hopes, and dreams.
My word for 2015?
Trust.
Trusting encompasses hope, confidence, faith, love, expectations, reliance, and, of course,
dreaming big.
For when we follow our dreams,
we trust our hearts.
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