We are about to embark on a new leg of our journey with Evan. He will turn 18 in January, which means he will legally be an adult. Privacy laws being what they are, we have decided we need to seek some form of legal guardianship of him. So I made a call I hated today. I called a lawyer.
Please understand that I have spent most of my life avoiding contact with lawyers. They are expensive and speak a foreign language. If you ask them to translate that language, they charge you money. It’s a vicious circle! The gentleman I called will hopefully have some compassion on us when it comes to fees. He has a 20-something son who has cerebral palsy, so he is at least familiar on a personal level with the road we have to go down. This guy is also very nice. He was the legal council for the university I used to work for & he and I had a decent working relationship. We will meet with him next month to discuss all the grisly particulars: full guardianship, partial guardianship, financial guardianship. It’s a virtual Chinese menu full of choices to make, none of which I find particularly appetizing.
I am the type of person who always wanted to get A’s on my tests. (I’m sure my parents will be shocked to hear this!) But, really, I was always disappointed when I didn’t get everything right. The thought of having to make such a big decision with long-lasting ramifications for Evan is very daunting. We will pray a lot and trust that we will know which option to choose when it is presented to us.
I have mentioned before that when you have a child with special needs, grief is something that pops its ugly head up from time to time. Small things can trigger it as can big life events. Yeah, this is one of those big life events. Yup. It is. During times like this, when I realize that we will actually have to stand before a judge & say, “Yes, our son, our only child, is incompetent,” I remember what our friend Mark said when Evan was born. “Those who are small in the eyes of man, stand tall before God for all eternity.” I remind myself yet again that life on this earth is short. Eternity is what counts. Evan, who loves God will all his heart, will spend Eternity with no hindrances, knowing nothing but joy.
“God makes His people strong and He gives them peace.” Psalm 29:11 (Message Version)
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