To keep people updated on our life with Vera we write blog posts on a regular basis. We do this to explain what it is like to have Costello Syndrome and what it’s like to be the parents of a child affected with Costello. It helps us when others can sympathise and to create better understanding for the syndrome and our situation. And it helps us to tell our story. It is about our life, the life we are in the middle of. At the same time we realize our story is just one story.
Through internet contacts we realize how many parents there are in The Netherlands who have the intensive care for a child with a handicap or illness and that we are not the only ones or the ones who have been hit the hardest. We’ve been through some intense situations with Vera in the ICU. And at the same time we saw other parents and children going through the same thing. Each in their own way. No situation is the same – and doesn’t have to be.
Life with a child with a handicap is full of cares and worries, but it also makes us more compassionate about suffering and injustice in the world around us. Even more so than before Vera came into our lives. We realize how important it is to have the right priorities and also that there is a lot to best not worry about. We are not just talking about health, but also justice in the way we deal with everything around us.
Everything we buy (products, food, services) does not only affect the earth (ecological footprint) but also the lives of those we buy from. From people close by, but also those far away in third world countries. It is tempting to only focus on the price, but that doesn’t do justice to people’s lives elsewhere in the world. The suffering of other people is shockingly connected to what we buy. Before you bring up money, let me present you with a small fact: The Netherlands is the world’s eight richest country.
This upcoming Sunday (19 October 2014) is the Sunday of the Micah Challenge. On this day thousands of churches will focus on the Micah Challenge message: “empowering Christians to speak out for justice and to turn compassion into action.” We feel connected to this message more than ever and it challenges us to jump into action. Because, contrary to all the suffering and injustice, we know a powerful and loving God who wants to use our hands to do what is right and just and to plant hope in black soil.
And just this once I would like to ask you to join in. Support Amnesty, consume less or no meat (for the well being of humans and animals), buy fair trade coffee, check the Clean Clothes Campaign before you go shopping or become a member of the World Wildlife Fund. Those are very direct and doable actions that can prevent or decrease suffering in the world. Actions that do justice.That show we have compassion for the world around us.
