Friday, June 3, 2011

Am I Special?

So, as a father of a child with special needs, a question soon becomes apparent to me; am I special? Before long, after Erin was born, I began to realize that some people referred to me, (or was it just in my head?), as "Erin's father". Real or perceived, it was real to me.

Having a child with special needs soon made me aware that I was, in some way, special myself. Maybe it was all the people that sought to comfort me in saying that "God never gives a special child to an unspecial parent." A nice sentiment, but is it true?

I would never have thought of myself as special. I am an ordinary man. A plain man. A jerk, in many ways. I am not aware, to my knowledge, that any of the people who know me, refer to me as special. Yet I cannot deny, that, having been singled out to be a parent of a child that has the odds of 1 in 900 of being born, that I am in some way, special.

So, having been given the gift of a child of special needs, I will, as they say, rise to the occasion. My perception of who I am has not changed. I simply try to be the best father I can be, to the child God has given me. How can I not love her? How can I not seek to give her the best life she can have?

This is my calling, and in that, I guess, I am special.

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