A long overdue post

Yesterday afternoon we spent a few hours at a very special birthday party.  All of the girls, but especially Keyan have been anticipating Max's birthday party since the moment we got the invitation.  The party was at the fire station and Keyan's little face was beaming all morning with the anticipation of going.  The party was so much fun and staying on usual par, they had special things for Keyan during birthday cake time and a goodie bag that contained all non-edible treats...although it did include this very high pitched fire truck whistle!!!! Anyhow, spending time with this special family reminded me that I never blogged about Keyan's last fire station adventure with her friend Max.  This post is long overdue!

Back in December, Max invited Keyan to visit one of the other local fire stations and had it all arranged that Keyan would get to RIDE in the fire truck.  We got a tour of the first station and all of their equipment, and than loaded up into the truck.  After getting Keyan situated in the passenger seat, Max and I climbed in the back and we all put headsets on so that we could hear each other. It was so fun to watch both Max and Keyan just light up as we drove straight down the main street of downtown Holland waving as if we were in a parade. 

The headset could not pick up Keyan's quiet voice so every now and than, Max would just ask her, "Keyan, are you doing alright?"  and the fireman driving would tell Max that she was fine and that she had a big smile on her face.
Our destination was a second fire station that happens to have a ladder truck .  You guessed it, the firemen went all out and took us up in the bucket.  It was a beautiful sunny day but very windy so none of us adults new how Keyan would really do but it could not have been more perfect.  She was just tall enough for her little eyes to peek over the bucket which meant her trach and airway were protected and she could enjoy the view. 

The thing that stands out the most is that if you ever meet Max, you will find that his love for all things "fire" is a passion.  So when he let Keyan do all the extra fun things, it made my heart melt.  Keyan rode in the front seat, Keyan got to control the stabilizing arms for the bucket truck, and Keyan got to do everything else first.  Amazing for a 1st grade boy.  After exploring the different equipment at this station and even seeing where the firemen sleep, we packed back up into the truck and enjoyed one last ride.  It was a great afternoon. 
My favorite moment of the day though was when we were getting ready to walk out the door of the station.  Max pushed open the door, saw there was some ice on the ground and said, "Hold on a minute Keyan, you have to be careful!"  And than just reached out and took her hand to help her across the ice.  It was priceless!

To me, him reaching out his hand to her is so poignant because he has literally reached out to her and helped her navigate the rough spots in life.  Making friends is no easy task for  a little girl who is hard to hear, has tubes everywhere, and isn't the most social little thing.  He has given her the present of the feeling of belonging.  Don't we all just long to be part of the larger whole?  Keyan may not really know how much she misses out on and she may not even realize how "different" her life may be from her peers, but because of Max, she knows what it feels like to have a friend.  She knows what it feels like to be important to someone else, and Max is helping her across some of those slippery parts of being a first grader.  He looks out for her, he genuinely likes to be around her, he isn't full of sympathy, but is aware of her uniqueness’s and just rolls with it.  I said it before, but I have to say it again.  This world would a whole lot nicer to live in if we all had the heart of Max.   

Just a reminder that you can see the slideshow in full screen by clicking on it!