Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

A Mother’s Heart for Her Disabled Children


I have great admiration for anyone who does caregiving at any level. Whether it’s parenting our kids, caring for our aging parents, caring for a disabled spouse, or caring for the needy in our community, caregiving involves sacrifice, a laying down of our lives for another. You know that. Your life and your desires get consumed by the needs of the other.

But there is one level of caregiving that I confess I can’t even imagine – that of caring for a disabled child.  Especially one who has a limited life expectancy. I’ve known several women who do this and they have my constant admiration. Their job won’t end, other than in death. Their hopes and dreams for their child are crushed every day. They have to learn a new level of sacrifice every day.

Catherine Campbell, a nurse from Northern Ireland, has captured this journey well in Under the Rainbow: A Mother’s Experiences of the Promises of God. Catherine had not one, but two daughters with profound genetic disabilities. In the book she gently shares her journey. Her heartbreaks. Her delights. Her unwavering faith in the goodness of God. Under the Rainbow is a story of faith and hope in the midst of daily lifegiving. It is the story of a mother's journey with God through heartache and loss. It reveals with remarkable honesty the disappointment, devastation and even anger she feels when confronted with what some would see as unfortunate genetic mistakes. In time, she comes to see it differently. If you have a disabled child or know someone who does, this would make a lovely Christmas gift.

I  reviewed another of Catherine's books, God Knows Your Name: In a World of Rejection, He Accepts You last year. You might check that out as well.

(This book was provided by Kregel Publications for review).

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