"Elijah Brooks' New Ride".....

For a little boy who loves wheels more than anything else, his very own set of wheels was just the thing to bring a smile to his face - a smile that I haven't seen in over a week now. Sure, he has smiled, but this was a different smile. This was a smile because he gained some of his independence back. A smile because he could now be in a room other than the bedroom or the living room. A smile because he could wheel himself up to his toy shelf and get some of his own toys. A smile because he could help make chex mix in the kitchen with me. A smile because he could go outside and get some much needed fresh air and sunshine. A dear friend from church has a child with spina bifida, and he had an extra wheelchair and brought it to us yesterday. I wasn't sure how EB would do maneuvering it around, but after 2 minutes, the child was able to get around like he had been in it his entire life. He calls it his, "Dodge truck"! We had to rig it somewhat with a piece of wood for a leg extension, but it seems to work fine. I cried, (of course), watching him. His bravery and sheer determination astounded me. He said he wanted to "practice" in the house before taking it outside.  So he practiced around the house 1 time and then said he was ready to take it on the sidewalk.  Then he and I ventured outside for our daily walk, and had a wonderful conversation about weeds as we walked - which turned out to be a great illustration of sin in our life choking out the good fruit.  Every moment is a teachable one!  It was so wonderful to be able to be outside with him again. It's only been 10 days since he has had his cast on, and we both miss that time together so much. We made it around the block before his arms began to get tired. As we were walking back home, he said, "Mommy, we need to pray that God would bless Mrs. Ruth for the way that she blessed us with my new truck".  And we prayed right then and there that God would indeed bless Mrs. Ruth for the way that she blessed us. And it is, and has been such a blessing to our family.