He Sat in a Shed

It is hard to believe that less than a year ago this child was sitting in a shed.

Rocking out of boredom.

Listening to the moans of the boys around him.

I can't get my mind around it sometimes when I look at him.

He has come so far.

Each time he snuggles into me and laughs with utter joy when I hold and kiss him, I am reminded how far he has come...

Yet...

He has a long ways to go. 

We have realized more and more in the last few weeks just how far our little fugitive needs to go.  He seems to have hit a plateau in the language department.  He struggles to retain words that we have used over and over again for months now.  Language is a huge struggle.

But knowing where he was a year ago.  We understand.  And we grieve.

He sat in a shed.  At a mental institute.

He was deemed severely mentally disabled as well as severely physically disabled.  So, when he turned five years old, they sent him to a mental institute.

Where he sat. 

In empty rooms and sheds.  With nothing.  Nothing.  FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.

I can't get my brain around that sometimes, and I would NEVER have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes. 

He is disabled physically.  Yes.  But mentally.  NO.  He is not mentally disabled.

If God had given Aaron to us at birth - we believe he would be up with his peers.  Probably ahead in many areas.  Maybe behind in some.  A normal child.

But after five years in an orphanage and after a year in a shed - in a language-deprived world - after the trauma of transfer - after all that he lost - it is no wonder that he struggles.  And will continue to struggle.

And we grieve.

Time.  Love.  Safety.  Security.  Patience.  Wisdom.  Work.

Prayer.

God.

We know it will take all of these to unlock what we know is inside our little guy.

So we wait.  We work with him.  We cherish who he is.  We try hard not to compare.  We love.  We rejoice at how far he has come.  We study to understand.  We pray. 

The reality...

He is a precious little guy. 

He didn't come out of his year unscathed but his spirit is sweet and the joy that radiates from him much of the time is humbling. 

We have no idea what the future holds for him.  There are so many mountains he needs to climb.  We struggle to know how to proceed.  It grieves us to see him struggle.  We want so much for him.

But we are learning to take one day at a time.

And learning to love him just as he is. 

And to be completely honest - with Aaron - loving him is definitely the easiest part!