Greetings and welcome to this week's edition of Laura's Links. It was a particularly busy and tiring week, but I'm pleased to report that after an almost two-year wait, my disabled son finally got his dental treatment done and I'm so very relieved but also so tired.
There are so many things about having a special needs child that people with healthy children never have to think about, particularly with the broad category of things that are called "activities of daily living" or "life skills". I'm used to it now, but sometimes I still find myself amazed when the coin drops and someone I am speaking to realizes that no, he can't brush his own teeth, put on his own clothes, get himself something to eat, or bathe himself. He needs help with every aspect of daily living. Every day. All hours of the day. There are many people who recognize the holiness of these special souls, and those who do recognize each other. It's like a sacred club that you wouldn't necessarily want to be a member of, but here you are.
As the delightful, attentive and gentle medical team got him ready to go to sleep, I was in the procedure room, gowned up and singing to my son. I told them that I would hold him but I couldn't look. They said he's fine, he's doing great. And I said I couldn't look, I have a post traumatic stress reaction to seeing him in a procedure room with the beeping, and the machines, and him being unconscious. They understood, and led me out of the room once he was asleep. I was a little wobbly, but reassured that they would take good care of him. It is a very difficult thing to put your child's life – body and soul – into the hands of strangers. Highly qualified strangers, but strangers nonetheless.
I read Psalms with my husband as we waited.
At the two-hour mark, I went out in the hallway to see if anyone was coming to let us know he was in the recovery room. I overheard another mother on the phone saying that her son wasn't doing well, his oxygen levels had dropped and he started bleeding and she didn't know what was happening. They had asked her to leave the recovery room (I don't know what he was there for). At that moment, my son's team came out and said all was well. We grabbed our coats and his wheelchair and were about to go into the recovery room when I approached the other mother and apologized that I couldn't help but overhear, and that I hope her son will be OK. I looked at her and she looked so completely forlorn I just grabbed her into a bear hug as she said thank you quietly.
All human lives, created in G-d's image, are sacred. We need to teach our children about the sanctity of human life, and work together with every religion, tribe and nationality that recognizes that fact. We need to reject the barbarism and love affair with death that is so prevalent in our society. We need to banish this darkness, obliterate this evil from our midst. We must reject death as a "cure" for the existence of the humans deemed unworthy of life for whatever reason.
It has been two years since the passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. This is a beautiful column, which relays a magical anecdote:
"Many years ago, as chairman of the South African Rabbinical Association, I chaired a meeting where he addressed the rabbis of South Africa. He began by asking: "What is the single most frequently asked question to rabbis?"
And there were a variety of answers. Where was G-d in Auschwitz? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are there no more miracles these days? And so on. His answer? None of the above.
The most frequently asked question of rabbis, he said, is "Rabbi, do you remember me?"
A truly brilliant scholar, Rabbi Sacks never lost touch with the average person's experience. He understood that people don't only need answers—they need acknowledgment and recognition of their very existence."
About a year ago, a reader generously sent me a gift card for a local bookstore. I bought a cookbook and the Rabbi Sacks book "Lessons in Leadership". For reasons nobody in my family can explain, my son became instantly attached to the book and takes it with him everywhere we go. He can't read, but he holds the book throughout the entire day and takes it to bed with him. It's completely tattered now and we have taped it up about a dozen times, but he won't let it go. Life is so strange.
Do you remember me?
Why yes, we do.
Have a good weekend, hug your loved ones tight. Remember them. I'll see you in the comments.
~
North America:
Hey, thanks for this after you mandated it and people got maimed and killed by it. Perfect timing.
EXCUSE ME WHAT?!?!?!? They missed BOXCUTTERS.
VDH: Tragically Trump
For non-Americans, these are cool cheat sheets. Ha ha. Cheat sheets on the cheaty cheating elections.
Stay angry: "this is the appropriate baseline level of outrage". Indeed.
California is a dump.
Kathy Shaidle had a great line about this. She always said that "mom's boyfriend" frequently turns out to be the most dangerous person for children.
Nothing to see here.
"Xi Jinping plays the host, has Joe Biden walk to him. This maneuver is designed to show America as the inferior party."
~
Israel and Jews:
Oh look, the NY Times is obsessing about Jews again. And again. What a surprise. It's not like The Times has a gigantic antisemitism problem or anything like that.
A mishigginer, definitely.
~
The Formerly Great Britain:
OH BARF. Seriously.
Hey you wankers, sure, take my hot flashes in exchange for you know FIGHTING CRIME?!?!
Oh, yes, a ban on having eggs. That should fix the problem. Perfect.
OH THE HORROR!! Sounds EXACTLY LIKE AUSCHWITZ.
~
Europe:
This is a great thread. They are all in on it, letting it happen. As per Neil Oliver, if this is happening it's because someone wants it to be happening.
China: "they make their domestic version a spinach version of TikTok, while they ship the opium version to the rest of the world.". It's digital fentanyl.
~
Iran:
So brave. Unreal.
~
Left Wing Kooks:
On the overweight fat and fugly man who won a beauty contest.
White liberal lady with masked brown children because OF COURSE.
~
China:
In which I must root for the Chinese people.
~
Today in Satan:
~
Human Grace
"You're my best friend fowwwever."
"If you are out of ideas, go for a walk."
So funny. "Partner" is one of my pet peeves. Hahahahahhaaha.
It's open thread time! Log into SteynOnline and let Laura know what you think of these stories or other happenings from week that was. Commenting privileges are among the many perks of membership in The Mark Steyn Club. While going off topic is permitted on Laura's Links, do stick to the other rules as you engage: no URLs, no profanity, and no ad hominem attacks.
