"This is the best thing of my life!"
We're used to hyperbole around these parts, but no need to take this statement with a grain of thought. It is quite sincere and, sadly, probably accurate.
Follow me below the Magic Kingdom squiggle for a brief update on Andrea's family and my second look at one of my least favorite comedians.
When I walked into Andrea's apartment last Thursday, I was greeted by a very excited, half dressed Calvin, who dashed up to me (as best as he can dash) and proclaimed:
"Hey Pastor Heather! Pray us up so the plane doesn't fall down. This is the best thing of my life!" He very nearly hugged me, which would have been a first for quiet, withdrawn Calvin. And perhaps damaging, as he is a large, just turned fifteen year old boy. His rare form of Muscular Dystrophy comes with some learning disabilities as well as his muscular degeneration, and he has difficulty with social cues and interaction sometimes.
Calvin's younger sisters were running from one end of the apartment to the other like sugar powered dervishes, while his grandmother tried to keep some semblance of order with frequent reminders that the people who live underneath them in the low income housing do not like them and complain often about noise. Andrea burst through the door with the sixth load of laundry she had washed that day and smiled more broadly than I have ever seen her smile.
Calvin and his family were found by people who make wishes come true. They were getting ready to go to Disney World to meet Buzz Lightyear, Calvin's personal hero. And do everything else is was possible to do in Orlando, Florida in six days/seven nights. Calvin was over the moon. He showed me pictures of him hugging his Make a Wish case worker, the cake and Buzz Lightyear balloons she had brought, the Vacation Planning Guide,well thumbed through, where they had traced out everything they were going to do. He couldn't stop grinning.
First class, round trip plane tickets for five people. Seven days/six nights at the Fairy Tale Village, a local facility for the Make a Wish families that provides all inclusive meals and services-especially services that special needs children require, such as mobility issues, laundry on site, special diets, and such things. Transportation to, from, around and in the park, along with speed passes to get everyone past any lines. Special programs, just for the Make a Wish Kids. A meet and greet with Buzz Lightyear himself. Passes to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Animal Kingdom, and Sea World. A liaison to work with them for any concerns, and cooperative relationships with local medical facilities. An experience Calvin, and his family will remember for the rest of their lives. Something that will cheer him when he is in pain and scared. As Andrea said, "I'd much rather have him, healthy and happy. But this is more than I ever thought he could have. At least...he'll have it. And no one will be able to take it away from him."
Calvin's trip was sponsored. It will cost the family absolutely nothing. One of his sponsors, if not the main one, is Adam Sandler.
I'm not a fan, personally. To each their own. And I've just always assumed that celebrities "giving back," was a part of the social contract that they accept when they become big. They then have the privilege of giving large sums of money to their favorite charities. It is accepted of them, so some do it way out there, in everybody's face, and some do it quietly. I don't care how or why they do it. Its the least they can do.
So, even though Mr. Sandler's movies give me intestinal gas, and I've never given him a second thought except to object to my daughter's selections on family movie night, I am planning on writing him a personal letter of thanks. Because I got to see the smile on Calvin's face, the excitement and thrill of anticipation from a terminally ill boy who is in constant pain and lives in poverty.
Adam, you've done a very, very good thing here. I know you will receive a letter from Calvin and his family when they return. I imagine you get quite of few of those from the children you sponsor. I hope that you really know how important this act of generosity is for Calvin and his family. To them, and to many other families and children, you are truly a miracle worker, a magic man, a deus ex machina who changes their lives from far away
And I won't go into details about what's waiting for them all when they return and the magic is over. That's for a different letter, perhaps. For this, I will simply send thanks and blessing to a man who has a lot and gives some of it to bring pure bliss into the life of my young friend, Calvin.
And maybe I'll give Happy Gilmore another shot....