For The Wonder of Who I Am, I Praise You!. (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gangemi, Cristina
• Is Part Of: Journal of disability & religion. Volume 20:Number 4(2016)
• Page Start: 352
• Page End: 360
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: baptism -- faith -- gift -- grandparent -- life -- premature; Church work with people with disabilities -- Periodicals; People with disabilities -- Religious life -- Periodicals; 259.4
• DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2016.1248722
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2331-2521

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article records a true story about a family I worked with for a year. As I sat to write this story, my own grandson was born. On the 25th of September, Giorgio, my first and long-awaited grandson, arrived a month early. He is born with two club feet and an arm that is shorter than that of a "classical/typical" type of body. He is absolutely perfect. Following his birth, he had to undergo a three-hour operation during which the words of Psalm 139 were my absolute companion. We had been informed of his body formation through the medium of a medical scan, and the medical world sought to influence us by speaking about "a quality of life." This catapulted the family into conversations about "personal choice and medical conditions." As a family, we were fortunate to know the words of Psalm 139, and it guided us in our belief that Giorgio would be and could only ever be a gift. We knew that the most important thing to ensure that his life would be of immense quality was that he was loved, and even before he was born, we already loved him and wanted him to enjoy the life he had been created to live. As we welcome his precious life into this world and support him to live out the mission that God has for him, I have found that my experience has merged with that of the family in my story. … I would, therefore, like to give this as a gift to all families and to witness to the wonder of each and everyBody (emphasis added by author, in relation to her 2010 published research report EveryBody Has a Story). For Giorgio, my beautiful grandson, Benvenuto!