The unique experiences of raising a brain-injured child and her two brothers.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

My Privilege

I passed him and his wife every Sunday for years. Each week, the elderly couple would enter the sanctuary, the wife obviously being helped along by her mate. I watched over time as she regressed from walking, to shuffling, to sitting in a wheelchair, pushed by her husband. Each Sunday, they sat in the back of the church near my family. He tended to her every need, and spoke to her in hushed tones. She was clean and well kept, obviously the object of his love. We didn’t speak, but instead shared smiling glances and cheerful nods of the head. I never would have guessed, at the time, that this older stranger andI would have so much in common.

Pulling up to our church several weeks ago, Chris and I determined that Elise needed a diaper change before going in. With a growing girl still in diapers, this creates a challenge with not many options. Chris laid her in the back of the van, and I used a blanket as a shield between her and the rest of the world. My favorite gospel CD, (Angel Band: The Hymn Sessions by Andrew Greer), was playing as we worked. Our concentration was broken by the sound of a new voice joining in on the old hymn, obviously familiar with the words. As I turned around, there stood the man in a state I had never seen him before -- alone.

We introduced ourselves, and