We had a special experience last night. I've decided that this Blog serves as a great family journal opportunity for us so I want to write about it while it is still fresh in my mind.
Lance and I were heading to our Ward (neighborhood Church) Temple night at the SLC Temple. To do this we park under the Conference Center in the underground structure, ride an elevator up a few floors, and then walk across the street. As we jumped on an elevator, some people were getting off which left just a family of 4 (Mom, Dad, Son in wheelchair, and Daughter) still on there.
The family was trying to figure out how to get to the top of the conference center and the people getting off were telling them that they were on the wrong elevator. So, as we got on the family asked us if we could direct them. We told them to go with us and we would help them find someone who could help them on the ground level. I was talking to the Mom and daughter who were on one side of the elevator so my back was to the Dad and Son.
It was a quick 5 second ride but out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the Dad had his arms resting slightly on the son's arms from his wheelchair pushing position. This is something I have seen my own Dad do millions of times to my sister so as to make sure that no one gets an unexpected love grab in a confined elevator space. As we got off the elevator, the Mom was explaining that they were touring the conference center and were trying to get up to the top to see the beautiful gardens. They had been told they could skip the formal tour since their son wouldn't have the patience to sit through it. I laughed and told them that I too had a special sister and Lance and I thus completely understood. That is when I got my first real glance at the son. I immediately said to the Mom "Do you mind me asking you what his disorder is?". She said she didn't and said "It is actually called Angelman Syndrome". I immediately told her that was what my sister had too and started to quickly tear up.
When my sister was diagnosed there were 400ish cases known in the United States. That was 399ish more than we could imagine, but in the spectrum of things that is a VERY small number. Since then the awareness has greatly improved and more and more kids are being diagnosed, but it is still a VERY rare disorder. To most of us meeting another family is somewhat like meeting a long lost family member. Often when I travel in an airport, go to a place like Disneyland, or just am in a busy place I have imagined how neat it would be to run in to another family- sort of a needle in a haystack type moment. Thus, my tears were of love, joy, excitement and gratefulness at this oppotunity to have such a choice encounter at such an unexpected moment.
We got them to someone who was ready to help them and chatted for a brief moment as we both were needing to rapidly get on to our destinations. The family was visiting from NV. The son was 12 and had the same light skin, freckles, and big smile that Whitney does. He reached out for me as I bent over to say hi to him. Before the Dad could pull his arm back I quickly reached out and gave his arm a squeeze back. I didn't need the assistance- I'm well familiar with such love grabs. :)
The Temple is a place we go to feel closer to God and to help us feel a little less lost in this big world. The chances of all of us being on that exact same small elevator at just that moment had to have been next to nothing. As one friend repeated last night when I was telling her the story- "There are No Coincidences". How special it was to have such a choice encounter- especially literally steps from the Temple.
