Cory

 The light of my life/our life turns 40 today. This man was not supposed to live through his first night. His APGAR score was 2/4. Babies with an APGAR score of 2/4 rarely survive. And yet here he is 40 years later. He is my miracle baby. The one that made it through. He is also my rainbow baby, born 3 years after I miscarried at 5 months. Born in the land of rainbows in Honolulu, Hawaii, he broke my heart wide open with his birth and he has continued to take my breath away with his presence. He is our Rainbow Warrior.

He has faced more challenges in his 40 years than most of us face in a lifetime. And he has done it with grace, humor and passion. From his very first breath life has been a challenge for him and yet he has never played the role of victim. I have never heard him say why me? At ten years of age with a smile and a wave, he wheeled himself into the operating room and hopped up on the operating table. That’s who he is at his core. Fearless. That is not to say he is without fear. Yet time after time especially as a child he faced those fears over and over again with dignity beyond his years. He is wise. He is kind. He can be stubborn. I am proud of the man he has become. He has not let Life wear him down.

Raymond and I are planners. We never planned that Cory would still be with us 40 years later. Every surgery, every infection, every fever we were sure he was headed Home. He knew long before we did that not only was he surviving, he was thriving! Cory has been the impetus for growth in our family. It is his arrival that put me squarely on the spiritual path that most likely saved my life and for sure gave my life meaning and purpose. He continues to challenge me in the best way to be all I came here to be. He continues to rise to the occasion and in doing so teaches me to do the same.

Happy Birthday, Buddha.