Rachael

“So Jacob served for seven years to get Rachael, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”  Genesis 29:20 NIV

Our son has been in some type of therapy or school since he was three years old.  You get to know the people working with him maybe more than a typical teacher simply because of all of the IEP meetings and follow-ups.  Goals get set.  Progress gets tracked.  New goals are set.  Every year you get a new teacher, Speech Pathologist, Para professional and you even change schools when appropriate. 

This has always been a nerve-wracking process because it can be hard for Korbin.  It can also be hard for us, even though we know it is good for him.  I have said it before, but if you lined up every person who has worked with him, in the order of their appearance into his life, divine intervention is the only possible explanation for the streak of beautiful people who have poured their heart into our son. 

The most recent is Rachael.  She entered the picture in what seemed like the most random of ways.  She met Korbin through a group called Capernum.  Biblically, it is the place where Jesus performed miracles and healing.  It was known as the “village of comfort”.  She and a few other students from Fort Hays State started the program to serve individuals like Korbin.  Korbin has loved it. 

We have seen him participate in activities in which he had no previous exposure.  Sometimes Korbin has been anxious to go try new things.  When she picks him up Korbin doesn’t just willingly go with her.  He heads to the door.  He has an unmistakable smirk on the way out and he is always smiling when they come back home.  Come to think of it, Rachael has a big smile on her face too. 

One thing I love is that she stopped knocking on our door a long time ago.  She just comes in like she belongs here because she does.  She also spends time with us when she is here.  Some people just have a comfort level with people.  Rachael has that and helps others have it when they are talking to her. 

Rachael has helped us learn that Korbin can play tennis.  We have heard stories of him grabbing the microphone at Bingo just because it looks fun.  Apparently, he has a habit of kissing his Bingo card for good luck, which I just find hilarious.  He attended “Night to shine” for the first time and there has been many years that there was a zero percent chance of him making it through that event. 

I do not have room to write about the entire impact of Rachael on our son.  I also do not have room to write about her impact on Korbin’s parents.  It is a beautiful thing indeed to know someone sees your child the way you do.  She see’s Korbin, without limits.  I have learned to think less of limitations and more about possibilities as well.  I used to wonder what he will end up doing with a limited range of possibilities.  Now I wonder about the possibilities without any limitations.  We are gloriously unaware of how far he can go.   

Her time working with him is coming to a close.  Apparently, she plans to make an impact in her own way.  I won’t do it justice but she has big dreams to open full service medical clinics built to serve people on the spectrum.  I have no doubt it will be amazing. 

I jokingly told her that if she would just tell us the name and number of her next supervisor, I would be glad to start a smear campaign just so she could not leave.  The simple fact is that we will never be able to express to her how much she means to us.  She has helped our son.  But she has also helped us.  She means a lot to Korbin because he can tell that he means a lot to her.  That sentence sounds so simple, but it is not.  I hope she knows how much he means to us. 

Have you ever felt like God designed a path for multiple to all end up in the same place? 

Have you ever seen God just wipe out a mental boundary?

Challenge:  Like the verse above when time with Rachael went so fast but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.  We will move forward and find new people to pour themselves into him.  But we will never find another Rachael.