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| Bethany had big smiles and plenty of mischief, even though she could not speak words or even roll over. Nurses loved to call her Angel for her natural, blond, curly-cue hair. Bethany was easy to pose with a smile. All she needed was to hear her Aunt Maria's voice saying "Bethany!" The photographer did just as well, because Bethany loved her so much |
I was teaching a class where the students had already earned advanced degrees in nursing, medical care, therapy, and specialties. We got into a discussion about Bethany Joan Marie (Angel) and Erin Joy (Joy...to the max).
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This Angel photograph featured Angel's curly blond hair, beautiful smiles, perfect eyesight, and adoring mother Christina. Bethany loved the photographer.  Joy     We prayed that Erin Joy would be healthy, but also that we would create as much happiness as possible if the same undiagnosed condition repeated itself. Joy was the perfect echo of Luther writing "You have as much laughter as you have faith." We got to know some really sour Lutheran, LCMS, WELS, and CLC (sic) potentates. They certainly found ways to make us laugh as often as possible. When a CLC (sic) official sent a letter around that I was showing contempt for their official statements, I denied it, writing back, "No I am doing my best to hide it." (They did not catch the humor.) Yes, we had a nurse scold us for having too much fun with Erin Joy in her room. After I got my beat-down, Erin listened to us whispering the crimes and the potential punishments. Can a tiny child absorb so much? I placed her along-side a former pilot, who was slowly dying of disorder similar to hers. I got so involved with him that Erin began to cry for lack of attention. I explained that to the pilot, who said very slowly, "She has to learn to take her turn." I said in a semi-serious response, "YOU tell her!" Erin laughed from hearing her priority recognized - the baby of the family, the entertainer, the patient with all the nurses on her side. |
