Jane

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June 20, 2015 

"Jane" should be the name of a flower. Maybe there is a flower with that name. I don't know. If there is, I hope it is beautiful. Bright yellow with long petals, and a soothing aroma. The kind that will make you feel happy and grateful, like a sunny day.

This is how I would describe the beautiful woman who has taken care of my kids, particularly Caleb, since he was just a fussy, skinny, Trisomy 13 baby. Beautiful. Bright. Loving. Kind. Caring. Soothing. Unforgettable.

As I write, my eyes well up. This is a goodbye. Caleb is graduating from the home care program at Children's. This is very good news. He is doing so well that he does not need home care anymore. There is no reason to have a nurse come to our home to check on him even if it's only every two months. The only problem is that closing this chapter in Caleb's life also means losing Jane, who volunteers through the program. Paul and I knew the time had come. We were considering it ourselves. "We would miss Jane, though." We both said. Not the three hours of free baby-sitting we received every week, but Jane. Beautiful, loving Jane.

I have made memories. I clearly remember one morning when Matt, the nurse, came to weigh Caleb. As he finished weighing him, Jane stretched out her arms to receive Caleb. I felt extremely grateful. "My son is surrounded by loving people." I thought. "He is so blessed." Jane has become like family to us. She has always respected the boundaries imposed by the program, but there is no way to curtail the love and gratitude growing in our hearts. We will miss her dearly.

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