Incredible Rex

 

One of the fun things I do is review books for Thomas Nelson Publishing. A book that I just finished and reviewed is such an excellent book and speaks to many of the things that our women and families struggle with in one way or another--the special needs child. After reading the book "Rex", I realized even more fully that it is not just about the struggles of a loving mom, a distant dad who left because of feeling at odds with his family, but also the struggles that society goes through in accepting and understanding the special needs child.  This column is about making a difference; that our differences are to be encouraged. That includes those special citizens of the world with special needs--one of which is just to be accepted.  Please indulge me while I post the review, and hopefully you will take the time to get the book from the publisher or find it at your local library.

Let me say first and foremost, Rex is not just another book about overcoming disabilities. Cathleen Lewis takes the reader on an incredible journey into what most people simply do not understand--the world of autism, blindness, and relationships for a disabled person.  It is truly an amazing gift the world has been given to have something written so well that the reader gains a new appreciation for all the "Rexes" in the world.

It is often said that when a person is blind, deaf, or affected by some other disability that other parts of the body become more sensitive and somehow compensate. Rex's parents, understandably, are disappointed that their child is born blind; thinking that their precious and beautiful son is looking intently at them, but instead can't see them at all. That would rock anyone's world. Then to find that other skills are missing as well.

Rex is first taken to the Blink Children's Center where his behavior has striking contrasts of a child who can't see but also refuses to touch almost everything, and to whom noise is a terror attack on his nerves. Music is the only thing that calms the tsunami of thoughts and ideas trying to process in his mind.  Ms. Lewis then begins the years of searching for what will eventually free her child from the chains that would have become a silent sentence of despair and loneliness for Rex.

I don't want to tell too much about the actual journey because that would spoil the book for the reader.  It is a delightful read that keeps you turning the pages. Rex moves from lonely intolerance to a socially competent young man who is willing and desiring to share his extraordinary gift with the world.

Ms. Lewis shares a dual journey, mother and son, in finding what makes both of them whole. For Ms. Lewis it is in assisting her son to become fully integrated into the sighted world, while she found the comfort that God so fully gives. If you're interested in being a world changer, this is an excellent addition to your library.  Hopefully it will add sight to your world as it did to mine.

You do make a difference! Each day we have the opportunity to learn new skills and relationship techniques. This week I would encourage each of us to learn to see people with disabilities in a new light. Most often it is common to find wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and other necessities for people to have a better life, something frustrating for those who can live without them.

I challenge you this week to make a difference to a person the world deems disabled, but who really just need understanding and a friend.