Not Bad Thing: love

Friday, February 17, 2012

Brother Alec

Lisbeth and Milkweed enjoying a visit from Brother Alec (Lis-ism) who now lives in Long Beach. Alec has been in Maine for ten days and flies back to California today. Lisbeth will miss her "little" brother. Sometime when I have more skin on (this has been a particularly rough week for Lisbeth) I will write about my experience of the difficulties faced by siblings of children with special needs. I could write volumes. But not today. For today I'll just say that there are indeed extreme challenges for these siblings, and in living with a "special" brother or sister, they become deeply wise.

Lisbeth and Alec in 1987, before Lisbeth's illness.

Lisbeth's Blue Bird Angels Mandala

My daughter Lisbeth suffered a traumatic brain injury when she contracted a viral illness in 1988 at the age of six, and she continues to be challenged by multiple difficulties including uncontrolled seizures, behavioral disturbances, learning disabilities and developmental delay. Despite these challenges, Lisbeth's mighty spirit and creativity are remarkably intact. She creates extraordinarily beautiful cut paper snowflakes - hundreds of them (it is ironic that a cluster of seizures is called a "flurry...") and like real snowflakes, each one is unique. Lisbeth sometimes refers to her creations as "brains," which is poignant, for in the making of each snowflake/mandala, it is as if she is recreating her brain. Lisbeth sees figures, animals, and objects in the cutout shapes of each one of her designs, and says that these are what the brain is thinking!