When Christine Began Talking.....

Yesterday, Suzanne came home from college. This was her first visit since she left. Her father and I did not want her to head back, so we kept taking her places and finding activities we "just" had to do before she headed back to school.

About mid afternoon, I asked Suzanne to go to lunch with me. We headed off to Schlotzsky's sandwich shop. I love the "Original"....In my opinion, that sandwich just can't be beat. Suzanne and I were talking about some of our disabled kids when we began sharing our thoughts about Christine. Christine came to us from the Philippines when she was five years old. Suzanne was only two years old when Christine came. There are a lot of events Suzanne doesn't remember because she was so small. She asked me to tell her the story of when Christine began to talk. I hadn't told the story in a long, long time. I'm so glad Suzanne asked, because for the whole rest of today I've been marveling at the goodness of God. Here's the story of "When Christine Began Talking"..

Christine and Eun-Hye

Christine came to us a tiny five -year -old baby of a girl. Christine was born blind. Even though she was five years old, she only weighed about fifteen pounds. She wore a size 3T!!! Our doctor said she was malnourished....(pretty obvious, I think!!).......We were told to literally shove (ie. force feed) the food down her. Christine had never eaten solid food. She had only had formula in all her five years on this earth......Kind of a biggie to wrap one's head around, isn't it??? The orphanage she was in was overwhelmed with mouths to feed. Christine was happy to curl up with a bottle and blend into nothingness.....She was quietly dying there.....But, in third world countries children die from hunger every day. This is a sad fact.

The whole first year she was in our family, we had to force feed her baby food. She hated solid food...she only wanted that bottle....In a way, the bottle had become her mother. The bottle was her only source of comfort. Because Christine did not speak, walk, or eat........her first year in our family and as an American was probably the worst year of her little life. She had to endure sensory exercises with a blind therapist. From all her screaming, I think it must have been excruciatingly painful for her......After having to hold onto a rope and try to walk across the room, and have such items as sandpaper, feathers, and velvet rubbed on her skin.....she literally fell into a heap on my lap.....

Everday she and I had "school". Mainly that meant just trying to teach her what different objects were and hope that she would eventually speak....Initially, she said nothing. We would go around the house touching different items. I would place her tiny hand on a chair and say, "Chair"....Then we would go to a table.."Table", then I'd touch a cup..."Cup" and so on ....over and over every day ...day after day for one whole year....

Then one day, there was a really good program scheduled on Oprah. Now, as we all know, Oprah comes on at 4:00 in the afternoon. This was the time I normally worked with Christine. I battled in my mind whether or not to skip Christine's "school" that afternoon......We could do it another day. It was okay to miss just one day.....Then, my conscience won out. I knew I could not miss that day.Now, I don't remember whether I had a premonition that something wonderful was about to happen. I could have, but I don't remember. What I do remember is the overwhelming guilt at not having school.The conviction was tremendous....

So, we began our class. I took her little hand and placed it on the chair. Christine, what is this? She clearly and emphatically said, "Chair".  My body immediately shot up to attention.....Had I really heard her say chair? Did I just want it so badly that I was hallucinating?  I tried another word. I put her hand on the table. Christine, what is this? Again, Christine said in a deliberate voice,"Table". I ran to the lamp. Christine, what is this?... "Lamp". I burst into a hysterical bout of sobbing. The children that were at home, were all cheering, clapping, and screaming....."Christine's talking....Christine's talking". Truly, a Bibical miracle was happening right before our eyes....It was then, and remains one of the most spiritual days of my life....After an entire year of this little wisp of a girl enduring some of the most difficult moments a person can endure, she was now experiencing a moment of  blissful victory. Christine was talking; she was laughing. Christine understood and could communicate about her environment. She was now on the road to being able to communicate. It was a glorious day......

Now, little Christine is twenty-five years old. She is still a little wisp of a person, topping the scale at only seventy-nine pounds. She is a non-stop chatter box.....really. She talks.....and talks.....and talks......I have to admit with all the events that have happened in our home over the years, I sometimes need to be reminded of that glorious day so long ago when Christine began to talk....I don't want to forget, and I don't.. It's just not in the forefront of my mind all the time. So, I'm thankful for today when Suzanne asked me the story of "When Christine Began Talking".
Thank you, God for giving our family the priviledge to love this precious angel. Thank you for Your Miracle....