Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The Student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. A broke femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said, "We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.
15 years of service as an RN and what an incredible ride the last 5 years has been! I will never forget the patient with COVID on maximum BIPAP on the verge of death because there was no ventilator available for her and deciding to prone her heavy body (despite my colleagues' insistence that it was futile) just long enough for her husband to be by her bedside for their last goodbye. I will never forget the suicidal patient who, while strapped down by 6 security guards onto the bed, cried out that this world was not worth living because there was no love for him in it and lovingly telling him, while holding his hand tightly, that I loved him and that he deserves a second chance in life. I will never forget how he whispered the most sincere thank you to me as the tears flowed down his face. I will never forget the grief-stricken roomful of family mourning the death of their loved one in the middle of the night who could not leave the hospital without a proper prayer by a clergy and with no chaplain available, leading a prayer of safe and peaceful transition for the dead amidst hushed sob as we held hands and encircled the deathbed. It has truly been a privilege and a heavy responsibility, and I pray God sees my sincere heart in doing good with the gifts and talents He has given.
Wow! Animals see the world through spiritual eyes and can sense the presence of a magnificent soul. It is a privilege to witness the beautiful connection between Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish.
"Who we really are is this magnificent human that you know is YOU who is on this journey. There is so much more to you that is your soul or your higher self. For all of us, our ultimate purpose for being here is our own self-realization; to realizing the love that we are, the power that we are, the divine being that we are ..to allow our expansion, to allow ourselves to fully express who we are, to allow the experiences that we want to have and we cause our own suffering when we think we know what another's soul's journey should be. We don't know why a particular soul has chosen to incarnate into a particular family that may have abuse that they continue to pass down unconsciously... There is a beautiful story in the horse world regarding a child named Cody Dorman with a debilitating disease who was not doing well at the time and he wanted to meet a race horse so a Make a Wish foundation found a horse farm in Kentucky where he lived. He went up to this pasture of yearling horses, and this one little colt came and put his head into Cody's lap and they actually named that horse Cody's Wish. Cody lived many more years because he wanted to see this horse race. The horse was winning and they kept showing the story to Cody. When Cody wan't doing well they took him to see the horse. Cody's Wish's final race was called the Breeder's cup out in Californa and Cody Dorman actually flew there and in a close race, Cody's Wish won. On the flight home, Cody Dorman passed away and made his transition. I've have never been more inspired by any story that I can remember. I look at Cody Dorman and see what a powerful, old, evolved, enlightened, courageous, amazing soul he is to come into that body and leave his legacy in the hearts of so many people and inspire so many people. You can look at that and say," oh its awful that this child was born with this disease which he wasn't' expected to live past a couple of years old" or, you can see the incredible love, inspiration and legacy that he has left.. we don't know what another soul's journey is.. . Sometimes its the most courageous beings that choose to incarnate into the most difficult situation. " -Sara Landon
I have finally picked a winner for the 2023 Lucas T. Ahn Scholarship. Congratulations, Nadia Wallace at the University of Tennessee! Luki May never attend university but that doesn’t mean his life didn’t help others achieve their dreams!
In Korea as well as in other countries with a large Buddhist following such as Thailand and Japan, there is a tradition among Buddhist monks who take a vow of poverty and abstaining from all worldly possessions, walk among the people asking for alms; mainly, for a few coins or a bowl of rice with vegetables without animal proteins as they are vegetarian in observance of the sanctity of all sentient beings. The monks would trek down from their temples located high up in the mountains to the cities where lay people live wrestling with various forms of suffering in their lives. As a child, I remember hearing the sound of their wooden Mok Ttak - a handheld prayer drum carved out of apricot wood which makes a crisp, hollow sound and also hearing chants of Buddhist scriptures before seeing them in their unique gray garb, barefoot and with their faces hidden under big straw hats. They had a small bowl for a scoop of rice and some vegetables and nothing more. After receiving their offering, they would bow deeply, offer a prayer of blessing to the giver and gratitude for the offering and be off hitting their mok-ttaks and reciting their chants to the next house. As a child, I found their presence to be mysterious and otherworldly and didn't quite understand the motivation behind their practice.
As I interpret it now, the monks were surviving off the grace and compassion of people. They were offering people an opportunity to practice the virtues of compassion and generosity for another being who has taken a vow to disengage in worldly pursuits and devote their lives to the practice of elevating the consciousness of humanity. Begging for food is a humbling experience and one which requires pride and ego to be set aside which is one of Buddhism's very important tenets. This motivation isn't so obvious to people of lesser spiritual growth who could not recognize an advanced and enlightened soul but has judged them just as a beggar and a nuisance to be shoo'ed away. And, I have witnessed some being badly treated by shopkeepers and laypeople who are resentful that while they work hard at earning a living, the monks are just freeloading off their diligence and effort and often heard groans of, "here he is again today....".
What is the soul contract the monk has made with God to endure the hardships of this life?
It goes to show that just because you become enlightened doesn't necessarily mean your life is made easier as stated in the Buddhist phrase, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, fetch water. After enlightenment, chop wood, fetch water". Like the profound ironies so beautifully written in the Dao, nothing is really different and yet everything has changed and the enlightened soul must still carry their cross even after exclaiming, "Eureka, I've got it!".
Today, as a mother of a child with Dup15q Syndrome, a condition which makes his independence impossible and without a clear and obvious role of his contribution to society, I ponder on the monks' practice and find a similarity to people like my son. My son can be seen by some as a burden on society, too. His survival and quality of life is solely dependent on the love and compassion of those around him. He requires great medical attention and 24 hour care, perhaps for the rest of his life. Even just going to the dentist to fill a cavity is a major ordeal as he needs to be under general anesthesia. The first dentist we consulted told us there is a 2 year wait period because my son's cavity is not deemed severe enough and the dentist has cases of kids with abscesses in their mouths with much worse conditions who get priority treatment. In the meantime, I worry and fret about possibly needing a root canal if the cavity does not get filled soon. Luckily, after calling many dentists, we found one willing to fill his cavity within 1 month at an outpatient surgery center accompanied by nurses and an anesthesiologist. He needs the aid of government agencies like Social Security and the Regional Center, health insurance for the provision of equipment/devices that help him function in society as well as individualized educational accommodations but most of all, he needs the love and acceptance from his school, church, family and the community.
What is the soul contract my son has made with God to endure the sufferings of this life?
The monk. My Child. The rejection. The love and respect. An opportunity to practice compassion. The realization of our higher spiritual consciousness. Being able to see the bigger picture of life. The realization of our higher purpose on Earth. Witnessing the divine (and sometimes, not so divine) nature within people.... These are all beautiful things to witness, experience and from, grow.
This journey is no easy feat but what I focus on seems to grow bigger. My focus is growing sharper every day as I learn and grow from the daily encounters with my son and the people who are involved in my son's life. And, I aim my focus on things that are beautiful and uplifting.
I wonder often about the meaning of Luki having Dup15q Syndrome. Sometimes, nothing really makes sense and obsessing and overthinking about meanings can be exhausting and draining. Recently, on the Dup15q family group page on Facebook, some asked, "What does believe mean to you". "Believe" is the motto for this organization. That is the exact question I needed to organize my thoughts and put it down into words below. Funny how sometimes you have the answers but you don't quite know the question they answer.
This experience is what I believe it to be. Nobody else's interpretation is as important as my own. Whether I wallow in victimhood or see this experience as an opportunity for growth, other people's opinion on its correctness is irrelevant. So, let's make the most of it.
1. I believe there are no mistakes or accidents.
2. I don't believe people have special needs; rather, I believe people have basic human needs."
3. I believe Lucas is a beautiful, evolved soul who incarnated into great disability for his, as well as everyone's, soul growth.
4. I believe (as crazy as this sounds) that I chose this experience and made a contract with God even before I was incarnated to go through this experience for my own soul ascension and expansion.
5. I believe Lucas is more than his diagnosis and is capable of giving and receiving love and is capable of doing more than what his diagnosis assumes.
6. I believe this experience entails heartbreak, hardship and difficulties along with moments of beauty and laughter but one day (perhaps not while on Earth) the reason for all the "why's" will all be revealed to me by God and I will be at peace with the reasons.
7. I believe Lucas has a right to fair and appropriate education and is entitled to appropriate accommodations to meet his needs in society, as stated by law.
Recently, I was lucky to have had a personal reading with Summer McStravick, the creator of the Flowdreaming method of manifesting. She has the gift of telepathy and it is so useful to know someone like her when you have a nonverbal child. She doesn't do readings often as she is more focused on the ME School and doing life coaching, so what a treat! She hit the nail on a lot of stuff going on in my life but I'd like to share the bit regarding Luki and his disability.
Our amazing summer at UCSB-FVC. Family carnivals, reptile show, adults karaoke, family bingo night, beach bbq, making pizza at Woodstock's Pizza, trip to the zoo, talent shows, dolphin sightings at our sunset bonfire with smores, dinner at Glen Annie Golf Club, pool races, hikes and bike rides, baseball game, etc, etc, etc...
Thank you everyone for showing your support for autism awareness and acceptance month by wearing blue and for being here today. My name is JiYoung and I have an 11 year-old son, Lucas, who has a rare condition called Dup15q Syndrome which is only one of a handful of known genetic causes of autism. My husband Gabriel, Lucas and our 6 year-old son, Liam, and I have been coming to LifeSong since 2018 and feel very fortunate that the pastors and Brenda were so welcoming about us starting a ministry for children and teens with special needs. (Anna's introduction?)
Living with autism and other neurodivergent conditions can be challenging for the whole family but having awareness makes it a little easier to be in the public. It means rather than being confined at home watching videos, we can board planes, take walks in the parks, go shopping and take vacations without people being afraid or staring at us as oddities or freaks. We've had various reactions to our son over the years, but mostly positive due to people "getting us" thanks to campaigns of autism awareness that advocacy groups have promoted in recent years.
One such time was when we were on a flight to Seattle last year and Lucas would kick the seat in front of him. The woman sitting in front initially was startled but then she took a look at him and turned around and didn't complain or acknowledge him at all throughout the whole flight. I was mortified that we would end up on Inside Edition for an episode of violence in the air but when the flight landed, she and her husband, a very large and heavily tattooed man, turned around and said "he did well. He did better than I thought" (I'm not sure how bad she was expecting things to be...). I had so much gratitude for her remark and felt an immense amount of relief. I think when she saw him it clicked for her that he wasn't being bratty but may have a cognitive disability and decided to show grace towards him. This is the power of what awareness and acceptance can do for people.
The statistics are that 1 in 63 children are diagnosed with autism and there is no known cure. Over 75% of couples with autistic children end up in divorce due to the overbearing stress of caregiving. Disabled people, especially those with cognitive disabilities, are the most discriminated subgroup of our country, if not the world.
Though greater awareness and acceptance, we hope to promote fair and appropriate access to educational opportunities, medical care and rights for access to housing, employment and the opportunity to praise and worship God at their own developmental level.
I've been asked how do I tie my understanding of a loving God with having a child with autism and was reminded of one of the miracle stories of Jesus.
In response to His disciples asking who has sinned for a blind man in John 9:3, Jesus responded, "No one sinned, it happened so that the works of God will be made known through him. " It's not just that Jesus healed his blindness but the work of God which Jesus refers to (I believe) is that people with disabilities can impact other people's hearts to be more loving, compassionate, and understanding . And that truly is the ultimate work of God. I know my son has changed my heart in so many positive ways and my efforts to advocate for his needs has also benefitted countless other individuals with his condition. In his behalf and others with his condition, we have set up the annual Lucas T Ahn Family scholarship to encourage talented undergraduate students interested in researching Dup15q Syndrome. I have participated in fundraisers and virtual walks to support advocacy organizations and hope to participate in the Orange County Marathon Festival in May. I have sat in on review boards of organizations that fund research grants. I would never have participated in any of these had my son not been in our lives and it is a testament to the truth of Jesus when he said "it is so that the glory of God would be made known. " Everyone is divinely created and has purpose and value in God’s economy. I pray you would also be blessed by their presence and come to see a glimpse of the glory of God through them.
