A day in Hershey ...

Today I got to be Kim's "Prince Charming" (her words, not mine).  I left home early this morning, drove to Hershey and spent a full day at the feeding clinic with Kim and Leo.  I will spend the night here in the Ronald McDonald house and, after a half day at the clinic tomorrow, head home.  (So I guess I am sort of "rescuing" her.)

So I got to participate today.  I got to feed Leo.  I am happy to report that Leo broke his previous records today and ate 12 ounces over 8 feeding sessions.  This is great progress!

I wish I could take credit for that success ... but I am pretty sure he would have done more had Kim fed him all 8 feeds.  She can get in 50 to 30 percent more than I can.  But, its good for me to be able to do this.  Really it is not just good, it will be essential when we get home!  We want his progress to continue and that will take a prolonged investment of time and energy from us both.

Kim has been at this for 5 weeks.  And its clear to me that what seemed like a long visit to me and the rest back home has been a much longer visit for Kim.  A day at the feeding clinic is a long, long, tedious day.

It was great to meet the specialists at the clinic, but I think I appreciated the Ronald McDonald house even more.  I had heard of the Ronald McDonald House charity, but now I can say from first hand experience what a great organization it is.  It really is very touching to see so many families with different needs, and different stories, come together in a place like this that give generously to all - expecting nothing in return.

I was also impressed with how popular our Leo is here.  He really is the life of the party around here, and I can tell that people are genuinely sad to see him go home. 

That made me reflect a little bit on God's purposes for my little guy.  If you look at all the minuses in Leo's column, you could easily write him off in one way or another.  But his big plusses - his great strengths - are that he brings out the best in people, he makes everyone smile, and that he makes everyone slow down and appreciate simple things.  Those qualities, I am convinced, are some of the ways that God has uniquely gifted our boy.

It makes me wonder what God has in store for him!