Keeping things interesting

Finding gifts for Jackson isn't easy, but it sure is interesting.

Of the Christmas gifts he received from me and his poppy, Twisted Peppermint body lotion was Jackson's favorite. I'm just glad I was able to come up with some other things this year he would like that weren't from Bath & Body Works or the gift card rack (although he did get the requisite Bath & Body Works gift card).

To accommodate some of Jackson's other obsessions, we gave him a foot massager and a massage ball, as well as a pedicure kit so he doesn't have to wait for a visit to my house to have the full-blown treatment.

Getting a hand massage with his new massage ball

For his room, we gave Jackson fabric posters of his favorite rock bands—Linkin Park and Rage Against the Machine—plus an Uncle Milton Rainbow In My Room Nightlight Projector. (Thank God for Amazon, or I'd have to visit several different types of stores to shop for Jackson.)

It was such a joy watching him open gifts. But when he opened one box and saw just the tissue paper, he set it aside, then looked toward the pile for his next gift. I'm sure that one was a disappointment until I showed him what was beneath the paper.

Sitting on Mema's lap Christmas Day
(Don't try this at home)

Two weeks before Christmas, Jackson spent the night. First on the agenda was the Christmas concert given by Symphony North of Houston. Between some of the songs, Jackson would turn to me and gleefully exclaim, "Hi!" He was obviously enjoying the performance. But when I asked during intermission if he wanted to wait and hear more music or go ahead and leave, he replied, "Walmart."

He must have been paying attention to my phone conversation in the car earlier when I mentioned going to Walmart after the concert so he could pick out some snacks. It was probably at the forefront of his mind the whole time.

When we entered the store, Jackson made a beeline for the toiletries. I tried to talk him out of getting two deodorants, especially since he had two in the car, but we both knew I would cave.

Jackson then selected cheese and crackers, macaroni and cheese, and candy. I suggested some breakfast foods for the morning, but he didn't want any. I wonder ... did he think if none of his breakfast foods were in my kitchen that I'd take him out for pancakes? That's exactly what happened, so maybe it was by design.

He was happy to be at Denny's. So was I. We had good pancakes and a great waitress. I appreciated that she took note of Jackson's name as I spoke to him and that she called him by name when she returned to our table. Then as we were leaving, she called out, "Bye, Jackson!" I was compelled to turn back, double her tip, and thank her for being kind to my grandson.

I guess some people ignore Jackson because they don't know how to interact with him. But really, all they need to do is simply acknowledge him. Just talk to him like they would any other kid. Even if he doesn't respond in some way, that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate it. And you can bet I do, even if I don't say so.

Ready for a shave

After breakfast, spa day began. I gave Jackson a mani-pedi, hand and foot massages, and for my first time, a shave. (His 'stache remains, but that scraggly goatee had to go!) We brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and put some of that deodorant where it was meant to be.

Angy told me the next day that Jackson must have had a good time because he kept talking about me. "What was he saying?" I asked. "Nana," she replied. Awww ... to me anyway, that says a lot.

A musical Christmas

It was a question asked of every child: "What do you want for Christmas?" Jackson's answer, however, was simpler than most: "Music."

This photo shows how happy Jackson was to get his iPod on Christmas morning. And at our annual Christmas Eve celebration, he was happy to receive an iTunes gift card. I was concerned that he wouldn't be impressed with a little piece of plastic, but he recognized the logo and apparently knew what the card was for.

We also got Jackson a Symphony in B music toy that he really likes and, of course, 10 of his beloved pocket hand sanitizers in seasonal scents (Candy Cane Bliss and Winter Candy Apple).

Jackson's taste in music is certainly eclectic. Pop, rock, hip-hop, country, gospel, classical, Tejano, children's music—he likes it all. When we're in the car, he's often busy adjusting the controls of the radio and switching the station. Jackson usually leaves it on country longer than other stations, which I assume is because he knows I like it. Walmart shoppers near the test display of car stereos aren't as fortunate, being subjected to short bursts of constantly changing stations and settings. Jackson is like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, working with focused intensity.

My mom takes him to Walmart most Saturdays, and I took him the day after Christmas. While he did his thing with the car stereo display, I inspected every automotive accessory on the aisle as if I were an actual shopper, just in case an employee might think of shooing us away like the time we got run off at Home Depot for playing with the washing machines. God bless those Walmart folks. Jackson was able to play with the car stereos unencumbered for what seemed to me like an extremely long time.

Continuing on his usual Walmart path, Jackson went to sniff the body lotions, sprays, and deoderants. Then it was time to sit on the bench in the pharmacy, watch people go by, occasionally wave and say "Hi," and read the labels of the body sprays he had selected. Jackson resisted as long as possible before he finally sprayed a generous amount into the air. The poor man sitting next to us waiting for his prescription began coughing uncontrollably, so I told Jackson it was time for us to get up.

The last part of his Walmart ritual is to select a snack, which was a bag of Nutter Butter Cookie Bites. On the way home, Jackson once again attended to the business of setting the radio dials and station.

He's spending hours every day on his iPod, which he proudly shows to people. Here's what Jackson has downloaded so far:

• Several songs by Linkin Park, a rock band that's currently his favorite
• My Life Be Like (Ooh-Aah) by GRITS, a Christian hip-hop group
• Renegades of Funk by Rage Against the Machine, a rap metal band
• Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash (no introduction needed)
• A music app for playing different instruments
• And a flight simulator app

For more about Jackson's affinity for music, see my post from July 2010, "He keeps me singing as I go." Also, a new "Hi, I'm Jackson" video clip is in the upper right corner. And be sure to check out my new blog, Cooking with Rocks.

Closing out 2012 with a praise
Thanks be to the Lord my God for allowing Jackson to make it all the way through 2012 without a stay in the hospital!

"He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen." (Deut. 10:21)

Different paths for different boys

I requested prayer for Brandon Cook in my last post. Yesterday morning, the Lord ended his suffering and brought him home. Brandon was a young Christian man in college who lived his faith. Ever since middle school, he made frequent trips to the Honduras mission field and was involved with Heart4Children. (In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Brandon's memory.) Thankfully, his family has the biblical kind of hope—confident expectation—that they will be reunited with him in glory. I can't begin to imagine the pain, though, of being separated from your child.

I'm reminded of how our children and grandchildren are only on loan to us. They belong to God, who created them and who loves them more than we do. I'm so grateful that He chose our family to place Jackson in. And I'm grateful that Jackson is doing so well. Angy, Darrell, Christian, and Sara have been really sick for almost two weeks, but Jackson has miraculously remained healthy. I thank God for sparing him that, especially with all he's been through recently.

We had the most wonderful Christmas. Jackson is really hard to buy for, though. I got him the six lotions he kept asking for during his last hospital stay, and Angy suggested getting him a special contour pillow for CPAP (sleep mask) users. Jackson had always slept on his side or stomach, but since he's been wearing the mask, he's been forced to sleep on his back.

When Jackson got enough of the wrapping paper off to see what it was, he tossed the pillow aside. (What kid would be thrilled with a medical aid for a Christmas present?) But he ended up liking it.

Before Jackson got the mask, he never got a good night's sleep. Since he's been wearing it, he goes to bed at 10:00, wakes up at 6:00 and calls out for Angy to remove his mask, then sleeps without it until 7:00. Jackson's first night with the pillow, he slept solid until 9:30 in the morning! The next night, he pointed at the pillow, smiled, and said, "Pillow." Oh, that warmed my heart.

Jackson is obsessed with keys and locks, so for another Christmas present, Robert made him a little board with locks and latches on it and a handle for carrying. This present from Poppy was a hit. You should have seen Jackson's face light up when he saw his very own set of keys. Maybe, just maybe, he'll leave ours alone now.

But back to Brandon's family . . . thinking about how they're temporarily separated from him, I'm reminded of how Jesus was temporarily separated from God the Father—physically at His birth and judicially on the cross. He was never separated from God in essence, though. When Jesus added humanity to His deity, He became man, what He had never been before, without ever ceasing to be God, what He has always been from eternity past.

The pain Jesus endured is beyond comprehension, not only the physical torture, but the spiritual agony. The holy Son of God became sin, not a sinner, but the substitute for our sins to receive the full wrath of God's righteous judgment against sin. Only the God man could have withstood it. In His humanity, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46)

My pastor, David Dunn, said Jesus made that statement so we wouldn't have to—that on the cross, God forsook Jesus temporarily so He wouldn't have to forsake us forever.

Hallelujah! Believers in Christ will never know the pain of separation from God's love.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things presents, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)