As Ashley can attest...

 A little message from Papa ( Ashley's dad... and the best man that ever lived)  about Cooper, Williams Syndrome and the book Understanding Williams Syndrome.  I find his strength a constant source of peace in my life. I think this message can ring true for anyone.

As Ashley can attest I’m a keep-it-simple, who, what, why, etc. type of guy.  What a shock it is to open a book that attempts to educate the general public and medical professional alike about a syndrome so complex that its understanding only recently has advanced beyond the stage of the “five blind men trying to describe an elephant”.

After reading only a portion of Understanding Williams Syndrome-Behavioral Patterns and Interventions, by Eleanor Semel and Sue R. Rosner, I have gained greater respect for the difficulty facing the medical community when dealing with, let alone describing, the nature of this genetic puzzle.

                                                                                                                                              

  I have repeatedly asked myself a question that the authors asked during their interviews for this book, “What do you vividly remember when you were first told your child has Williams Syndrome”.  I have to confess that the question was never put to me until I had the opportunity to ponder my response.  My answer to the question is colored to a large degree by the fact that I have had two family members who as a result of tragic accidents became special. Both have now been called back Home but both left giant footprints on our collective family heart. In my case their memory is stored in a special place in my heart, readily at hand to be brought out when ever I need to draw upon their wonderful example of meekness, unqualified love, life without guile and child like respect for all.  You must also understand that the footprints of these two special boys are joined by the footprints of their loving parents, siblings and friends.  They collectively serve as the example of the people our Lord talked about when he described those individuals that would someday find His joy in their inheritance as the true meek among us.  The family and friends are very special indeed for they along with their special charges are our living guides and witnesses of the way we must pattern our lives if we expect to be with them in His glory when the special ones are made whole again. The family and friends of Cooper will now have an opportunity to glean from his example, to grow with him, to teach and to learn together, experience Cooper’s ups and downs, be enthused by his happy countenance and through all the heart ache about what could have been and why-oh-why me, be brought close to one another as only a few family and friends can hope to ever experience.