Recognizing A Divine Appointment

I believe that God puts you where you’re supposed to be in the time that you’re supposed to be there.  I believe that He sends the right people to cross your path as well.  I believe that all you have to do is be open to believing that good things are waiting for you and they will be revealed to you.  And I believe that all things happen for a reason, regardless if you understand it at the moment or not.  

 

No one can prepare you for life with a special needs child.  Especially when you already have two children who meet all the typically developing milestones.  No one can slow down the whirlwind that comes with learning how to provide exactly what they need.  No one can ready your heart for all the struggles they’ll face or for the doubt you will have about your ability to parent them well.  No one can reassure you enough that you’re doing exactly what they need and no one who isn’t in similar shoes can understand how your heart aches when they get to the age that they stop being considered a ‘little, shy cutie’ and smiles of confident assurance turn to looks of confusion and words of impatience.  No one can prepare you for any of these things and when you find a community that ‘gets it’ there are no words to express how relieved you feel.  

 

 

Two and a half years ago I was getting my hair done one day and, while my color processed, I struck up a conversation with the lady who was getting a haircut during my downtime.  Turns out she was somewhat of a neighbor and went to the church we had recently started attending.  At that time, my youngest daughter, Cheridan, was 6 years old.  She’s 9 years old now … and aging around 4 1/2 – 5 years old.  Cheridan was born with developmental delays.  She has no diagnosed cause though she had symptoms that included severe hypotonia (low muscle tone) and torticolis (stiff neck).  Cheridan is a fighter – she has been all her life!  She is a generally sweet soul (I’d be lying if I said she didn’t have her moments like most kids do, lol).  She is brave, beautiful and oh so determined.  She loves praying, all things purple, ‘reading’ books, dancing, music and playing ‘hitball’ (this is her word for baseball).  

 

 

I was raised to put others first.  To recognize the one who wasn’t included and bring them in.  To notice the one who had something to say but couldn’t find their voice and patiently give them the floor.  I was raised to be generous with kindness and to give away smiles and hugs like you would never run out of them.   Maybe this is why I’m not afraid to talk to anyone and why I struck up that conversation in the salon that day.  You see, my husband and I had been talking, just in the few days before that day, about how to get Cheridan involved with something that would help her be active and help build not only her physical/mental abilities but her confidence.  To this day, I believe that Ms. Betty, the neighbor who I met that day, was intended to be there with me to tell me all about the Miracle League of Johnston County.   

 

 

If you’ve never heard of it, the Miracle League is a hitball league for children with specials needs.  Complete with an astro-turf field that enables wheelchair-bound children to easily round the bases, this league caters to ensuring every child has a chance to play our national pastime!  Unfortunately, there isn’t a Miracle League in Wayne County where we live, but, thankfully, we found our home in the neighboring county with the Miracle League of Johnston County community.  Monty McLamb, one of the board of directors, started the Miracle League of Johnston County in 2010 and is still the ‘coach’ today.  He has been instrumental in growing the Miracle League of Johnston County to what it is today and helping ensure the players have a regulation Miracle League field to play on which opened earlier this year in April.  

 

 

Our first hitball ‘season’ was in the fall of 2016 and Cheridan has played both fall and spring ‘seasons’ since then.  Every game there are volunteer ‘helpers’ who team up with each of our players and assist them with batting, rounding the bases or fielding the balls.  It’s amazing to see the youth sports teams or a church / fraternal / sorority group show up to be ‘helpers’ at one of our games.  Our favorite game of each season is the game with the Campbell University Baseball Team.  The entire CU Baseball Team, in their bright orange ball shirts, show up to play a game beside our players.  Seeing those young men out on the field with their hearts on their sleeves, listening to them coach and encourage our youth, gives me hope for the future generations.  At the first game, we played with the CU Baseball Team, two years ago, one of our girls was pretty much overplaying the game so she laid down in the field and started making dirt angels (remember, at that time we were playing on a typical ball field).  I won’t pretend like I was unaffected when her two CU Baseball Team helpers laid down on either side of her and started making their own dirt angels.  I was bawling like a 39-year old baby!  It moved my heart so good.

 

 

We are very blessed to be part of the Miracle League of Johnston County family and we’re looking forward to many more hitball games for our sweet Cheridan!  If you have a child who might love to play on the team, or if you are part of a group or an organization that has a desire to give of your time, I encourage you to consider volunteering to be ‘helpers’ at one of the Miracle League of Johnston County games!  You can find more information about the league, and about how to register to play or volunteer, or even donate financially, by going to their website.