The Flog – The Fabry Log

We had one of those programs on Friday. I’m still thinking about it and the reason for it.

It began with a trip to Chicago and some work on a book. It ended with a plane flight I won’t soon forget.

On the crowded plane I happened upon an open seat beside five beleaguered travelers. Three of them were small children, two adults. One was the mom, the other an aunt. I sat by the aunt.
They’d been flying or in airports all day. I noticed a bag at the woman’s feet that said, “Make a Wish.” I knew there was a lot to the story but I had no idea until we were halfway into the flight.

I got bits and pieces of their tale throughout. Aspen, six, had been born with only three chambers in her heart. There had been a surgery early on but the doctors said she wouldn’t make it past two weeks. She had a tracheotomy. When her mother got her brother to sleep by reading him The Little Mermaid, Aspen sang the songs and held a finger over the hole in her throat and squeaked out the words. It was a beautiful sound amidst the din of the engines and cabin noise.

I also learned the dad and mom were divorced. He was in prison. The whole story just seemed too much to bear. But there was light in Aspen’s face. Her aunt said she had such a sense of humor, such a purpose in each day. Though her body struggled with the organs that couldn’t keep up with the growth, her mind was sharp. When she put out her little hand and rubbed her brother’s back as he slept, I had to turn away.

But the story didn’t end there. After we got off the plane I followed the family and then pulled ahead of them. They made their way to baggage claim and then slipped into a limo provided by Make a Wish. When they were gone, I couldn’t stop thinking about them, so I told the story on Chris Fabry Live on Friday. We took three calls. One from a grandmother whose granddaughter had just heard the news a day earlier of a recurring tumor. One from a mother returning from the hospital with a daughter who had severe health problems. And one from a man who had been touched by the life of a little boy 24 years ago. His life had been irrevocably changed by that boy and his mother, Nina.

I don’t know why God favors us with such people, such stories. The pain of them is almost too much to bear, but I know they’re working for us and in us. This crucible of life is showing us what’s really important and what will really last.

Amidst all the things to accomplish this week, remember the Aspen’s around you. Some are struggling with such deep pain. Maybe that person is you. If so, may God show you how much He loves you in the midst of the struggle.