(photos courtesy of Amy Murtha, I was off camera duty during the week)
A whirlwind of events happened upon the return from family retreat, leaving little time to reflect on it. That is why I want to give a brief summary of my experience at retreat this year.
This was my thirteenth year going to family retreat, and this year was quite possibly the best of all of those years. The last three years I had been with Ryan and his family, I was sort of expecting to get them again this year but come Sunday night I found out I was matched with Mason. It was Mason's sixth year coming to family retreat, and I had remembered seeing him previous years, but had never spoken with him.
Upon my first meeting of Mason, I found myself talking to him as if he wasn't going to respond. Even being raised in a home with a large disability awareness, I find myself guilty of this quite often. Speaking fast and not giving someone the time to respond in any sort of way.
After Mason's family was unpacked his dad asked me if I knew any sign language (all I knew was the alphabet and a few simple words), he told me that Mason would teach me some. I was really surprised by this. I had never taken the time to get to know Mason other years, and I think I assumed since he wasn't verbal and didn't make direct eye contact he wasn't able to communicate at all...I was soooo wrong.
Mason never ceased to impress me all week long. One week wasn't nearly enough time. I miss the miles of walking we would do, and the frequent weather checks in the lobby, reading happy grams aloud numerous times, going over the day and week schedule numerous times, watching him eat his strange teenage concoctions at meal times, watching how intently he would listen during the morning program (NOT craft time), playing wii together, watching him play wii with other people, and of course our good conversations throughout the day.
Mason was born with Cerebral Palsy and Autism, which is exactly what my brother Isaac had. I know that the prayer team and those who assign STM's and families together pray over the matches, but I feel like ours maybe got extra prayer? It was beyond a perfect match. I told Mason, our first evening together, about why/how I started coming to family retreat when I was younger. I told him a little bit about Isaac and how much he liked family retreat and looked forward to it, as well as the rest of my family. I told him the "Shine" year was Isaac's last year at retreat, and that it was a really good year to end on. I told Mason all of this unsure of how much he was retaining or if he was even listening at all.
Near the end of the week I was sitting on a bench asking him what we should do next when he asked me about my brother. I figured out he was asking about Isaac. I described Isaac to him, asked him if he remembered him (he didn't), and then he asked me how he died. I explained that Isaac had a weak heart and that God knew it was time to call him home. He asked if he was in heaven, I said yes, and that I know he is because even though he couldn't say it, his face always expressed how much he loved Jesus. Mason just smiled and ended the conversation as if that was all he needed to know.
I was really blessed throughout the week watching different people take the time to actually talk with him, and also the love, kindness, and patience that his parents always showed toward him.
It was a wonderful week, I have so many Mason stories bottled up, but sharing all of them would be too long of a post. He taught me a lot, he brought me a lot of comfort and joy, and I needed him that week a lot more than he needed me.
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