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Sunday August 06, 2006 Words To Live By
"Love is indeed 'ecstasy', not in the sense of a moment of intoxication, but rather as a journey, an ongoing exodus out of the closed inward-looking self towards its liberation through self-giving, and thus towards authentic self-discovery and indeed the discovery of God" - Pope Benedict XVI (from Deus Caritas Est, 2005)( Aug 06 2006, 01:53:55 AM PDT ) Permalink
Juliana Wetmore (Old Draft; New Post)
To get back into the spirit of blogging again, I decided to work my way through my saved drafts to see if anything there is worth posting. While doing so, I came across the following draft. It contains inspirational information about a very brave girl and her loving family. For updated information, you can go to : http://www.julianawetmore.net.[Drafted on 08/01/05]
This is at once both one of the most heartbreaking and yet heartwarming stories that I have ever heard.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=28372
I first learned of Juliana Wetmore by watching a recent airing of "Born Without a Face" on the Discovery Health Channel [I believe that there are a couple of episodes, coincidentally enough, airing tonight - 08/06/06]. Since then, I have learned more of her story through various internet articles and blogs.
Julian Wetmore has a serious case of Treacher Collins syndrome. When Juliana was born, she was missing her upper cheekbones, eye sockets, nose, ear canals and most of her outer ears, upper lip and the roof of her mouth.
Juliana's serious handicap makes her unable to hear well, eat through her mouth, breathe without nasal tubes, or speak. Despite this, and a host of resultant maladies, she exhibits a joyful spirit and an almost boundless love for the people around her - particularly the parents that reciprocate with unconditional love of their own.
In a world in which respect for life seems scarcely in evidence at times, the choice Juliana's parent made not to terminate the child`while in the womb or to let her die through lack of medical care is to be applauded. All children are blessings from God [Ps 127:3] and should be treated as such.
In a world in which so many people spend so much of their time feeling sorry for 'how bad things are' in their life, Juliana is a true`inspiration. It is impossible to read her story without being imbued with a greater sense of perspective.
It is easy to use a case like Juliana's as an excuse to deny God's existence or to curse God's ways. I have a greater degree of pity for the poor misguided souls that choose to do so than for Juliana. Her struggles will no doubt be great in this life. But as our Lord says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" [Matthew 5:3]
Juliana has some of the worst physical disfigurements known to medical science in recent history. Even watching her on television, however, I was aware of the beauty of her spirit. God's works are truly made manifest in this exceptional child [John 9:1-3]
This story moved me profoundly; I hope it will move you as well. ( Aug 06 2006, 01:22:07 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [1]