Tuesday, September 20, 2011



Things Are Not Always What They Seem

We are quick to judge or assume things before we know the real truths.  I realize each day just how much I do not know.  It is through experience, listening and reading I gain knowledge, but there is so much more to learn.  I’m not an expert in anything and learned long ago that people are out there doing the best they can at the moment.  I do not want to sit in judgment and surely do not know what is best for others.  I try to live by the “walking in another person’s shoes” philosophy.  How can we know what they are living, if we are not living the exact same thing?

Being a better person makes me want to constantly learn.  I’m hungry for new experiences and knowledge.  I continue to grow because of this need.  Growth is a very necessary part of our existence.  There can be no happiness without it.

I’d like to share a very personal story about my son Josh.  He came to me at 11 months old only weighing 11 pounds.  He was a fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) baby and coke baby.  His birth mother drank heavily and used coke while carrying him and after his birth.  She didn’t know if he had eaten the day he was taken from her.  He was lifeless in the crib and was taken immediately to the doctor.  He was placed in my foster home.  I loved him the minute he was put into my arms.  I always have felt that I gave birth to him that day.  He needed very special care, like a 3rd world nation starving child.  Until he was almost 3 years old he could only eat rice, soy formula, turkey and chicken because of what the starvation had done to his digestive system.  He did thrive though and gained weight immediately.  Of course, he became a learning experience immediately and I needed information that was not readily available.  We saw University of Iowa Hospital, doctors, doctors and more doctors.  School and AEA became a challenge because they set very low expectations for him.  I laughed when AEA told me he was working beyond his potential.  How can one work beyond their potential?  School said he would never learn beyond 7th grade math and yet own his own, he got his GED.  I have learned much and am still learning about FAS because life continues to be a great challenge for Josh and always will be.

I gleaned this information from the internet and it describes Josh almost 100%:

Symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Fetal alcohol syndrome includes the 52 symptoms listed below:
Hope you have learned something today.  Keep learning, read and grow.  You are welcome to share your own story.

Be happy and God bless you.

1 comment:

  1. My Aunt and Uncle adopted a fetal alcohol boy when he was about 7 or 8. These symptoms are sure right on. We didn't know it at the time, only knew he'd been abused and suspected sexual abuse, too. As he grew up he continued to develop more problems. My Aunt had MS and my uncle gave up his job to care for her as the disease progresses. When their son was an adult he made more and more demands of them, but didn't want to live at home. He became a threat to them and they had to give up and let an agency overlook his care and give him money. Last I knew he lived in a group home, but had problems. You took on a huge challenge. Sounds like it was also a blessing. I'm enjoying getting to know you via FB. Best wishes to you.

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