But Roddy Didn't Know That

    Here is another poem about one of my favorite subjects, and people.

            But Roddy Didn’t Know That

By the time newborn Roddy’s

blood incompatibility problem was diagnosed,

much damage had already been done

to his brain, and muscles, and hearing.

The baby was not expected to survive,

enjoy any quality of life or, at best,

live more than a few years.

But Roddy didn’t know that,

so he lived.

The doctors didn’t think he would walk or talk.

He would live as a vegetable,

best put him in an institution right away,

before the family got too attached.

But Roddy didn’t know that,

So he learned to walk and talk,

not as quickly as other toddlers,

and not without therapy,

but he learned.

He wore leg braces, for a time,

a back brace for scoliosis, required a hearing aid

attended disabled classes, learned to ride a bike.

The boy who was not expected to live or progress

graduated from high school, learned to drive, got a job, bought a car,

and came to know Jesus as his Savior.

And because Roddy knows that,

he also understands that all his limitations

won’t last long.

He loves watching sports, a variety of music

from Buck Owens to Jimi Hendrix.

He goes to Griz games and concerts,

visits his sisters in Kalispell

and, increasingly, does the driving for our aging Dad.

He works hard and saves his money

and, as much as is possible, takes care of himself.

Because Roddy didn’t know

some men don’t.

He loves his family, enjoys travel,

and understands technology better than I

He regrets being single,

but not his years living with Dad.

Though his life has not had the “quality” of others’,

by our culture’s definition,             .

he lived, and continues to live, a full life.

Because Roddy didn’t know

that he couldn’t.