Papa and Meemaw

- from Christy

I have vivid memories of my Grandparents coming to visit our family when I was growing up. There was always great anticipation for their arrival, and I remember that very often there was a "to do" list that they insisted be ready for them to complete during their stay. My grandparents were hard workers, and their language of love was giving and working around our house to ease the burden of chores and time-consuming projects that my parents would otherwise have to complete. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun during their visits too, but they always left us in better shape than they had found us in. It was a blessing to my parents and a lesson for us kids.

Scroll forward several years. My grandparents are all with Jesus now, my parents are now the grandparents, and I am the grown child who is now being blessed. My Dad and Mama have always gone above and beyond to help their children out. They're always available and always willing to go without, to change their plans, to arrange their lives all for the purpose of loving their children and grandchildren more and better. I am convinced that no one works harder at this than Bob and Jane LaTour.

Dad and Mama have been there for every birth and every trial and every moment in between. In God's perfect sovereignty, Jeremy and I are now in a place of even greater dependency on my parents. Josiah's needs are so tremendous that we are really only able to leave him in their care whenever we need to be gone for any significant length of time. The boys' needs make keeping up with things around the house challenging to say the least. My parents are ALWAYS helping out with laundry or cleaning or yard work. You name it, they do it. But they don't just provide for our physical needs. Jeremy and I turn to them during those very emotional times too. Mama calls every day to get the run down on how we are holding up. They understand like no one else how hard this all is at times, and how much of an emotional roller coaster we are on. They do a great job of not judging us during our weakest moments while still encouraging us to focus on God's perfect wisdom and plan for our lives.

I often become concerned about being too needy, concerned about monopolizing my parent's time, concerned about burning them out, and concerned about how we will make it in years to come if something ever happens to them. Bottom line, we didn't choose Autism - it's part of God's plan. I have longed from time to time to just have a moment of "normalcy," a moment where we weren't so needy, a moment where we could just go and be like everybody else. But that is just not what God has planned, and I know that we are safest, and best, and happiest, and most joyous when we are smack-dab in the middle of HIS plan. How thankful Jeremy and I are for my parents, and for the fact that God is using them to help in practical ways and using them to help sustain our hope in His eternal purposes. We love you Dad and Mama, and can't thank you enough for all you do!