Searching for Bird's Nests


The reason I decided to call this “Searching for Bird’s Nests” is because of something that happened almost 15 years ago when Rachel had cancer. She had the adult type of Leukemia when she was 2 years old. It was like walking around in a nightmare that we just couldn’t wake up from. When it was all over and we amazingly still had our little girl with us, we saw so many ways that the Lord had blessed us through that nightmare and transformed us and taught us new things we could not have known otherwise. When Rachel’s hair began to grow back, we threw Rachel’s old hair (that we had saved when it fell out) around the yard to celebrate that Rachel was still with us and that she would have hair again. A few weeks later, walking to my car, I saw at my feet a small bird’s nest that had fallen from a tree. Interwoven in all of the tiny little branches was Rachel’s hair that we had scattered around the yard. It seemed like a reminder from God that He can take the darkest, most painful experiences of our lives and weave them together into something beautiful.

29th February 2012

Down Syndrome = Good Friend

     I have been amazed for years at how people with Down Syndrome have been blessed with something “extra” in so many ways.  Yes, there is an extra chromosome but there is also a lot more than that.  If you have a friend with Down Syndrome, they will stay your friend no matter what.  I’ve seen it in Rachel’s friend Kate, these friends Amy and Joanna as well as many other people we’ve known in the past with Down Syndrome.  It has been a few years now since Rachel has responded to Amy or Joanna with an answering “hi” or a hug that Joanna so eagerly gives.  They ask her questions, include her in what they’re doing, bring her things, and still they get no response from her.  Most people who haven’t been blessed with that “something extra” would give up by now.  Others pretty much know they won’t get a response to anything they say or do so they just keep going or look at me and ask how Rachel is doing. I totally understand that.  But then there are these amazing friends with Down Syndrome who just keep on going  with such tenacity. They just never give up.  I’ve watched this phenomena for years now.  You can be dirty, smelly, wear really goofy clothes, drool quite a bit, not be able to walk or say one word, and still if you have a friend with Down Syndrome, there is no shaking them.  They stick like super glue. I can learn a lot from them.

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