I Won the Lottery

I won the lottery.

No, not that mega-one earlier this year.

I won an existential lottery.

My windfall wears diapers at ten, watches the same cartoon over and over, will watch the wind for hours on end, and would rather play with a spinning sand toy than an xbox.  His smile is piercing. His cries are heart breaking.

I am grateful that my husband's DNA and mine collided with cosmic force 11 years ago. And whether it was divine intervention, or simply evolution, the result was our son Mason, one gene short of a full deck. A rare anomaly and gift of the first order, whose mere existence has forged such humility and grace in myself, equivalent to winning the lottery of life.

I am grateful for our exceptional children's hospital. They have helped us navigate brain surgeries, seizures, MRIs, daily medicine regiments, and on and on.  Their dedication gives Mason the ability to live and thrive, and in turn touch the lives of so many others.

I am grateful we have found a school where Mason and his peers, who require constant attention and vigilance, get more than an education, they get a welcoming community, ne that frees them of the confines of their vast anomalies allowing them to enjoy a life without limits, or as few as possible.

This good fortune of a life with Mason brings a wealth of perspective. Some days are more bitter than sweet. But when a work crisis arises, it always pales in comparison to enduring his brain surgeries. When Mason's brother complains that life isn't fair because Mason gets more iPad, I agree and hope to shape his worldview into one that is abundant with compassion and understanding.

What luck I have to live such a rich life, each day grounded in a deep debt of gratitude to all the teachers, doctors, therapists, social workers, caregivers, and friends, who support Mason and our family. I hope my gratitude enriches their lives as well.

With a Perspective, I'm Kyri McClellan.