By Loretta Gillespie...A story about Allyssa

Allyssa’s Story Moulton Advertiser For July 22, 2010 “ Allyssa’s Story” Sometimes you just know that a person is destined for great things, even a little bitty person. There’s just something that surrounds them, gentleness in some, a glow or radiance in others – some might call it an aura – whatever that,’ something’ is, Allyssa Pace sure has it. I’ve known her mother, Christy, since she was a teenager, full of spunk - the epitome of GRITS, (that’s Girls Raised In The South, for the uninformed) and a true Southern beauty. Allyssa Cate faces something that grown men – especially soldiers – have a hard time dealing with. The loss of a limb can be a devastating and life-changing event for them. For Allyssa, it’s a fact of life. Christy and Brandon have two older sons, Boone and Brock, and they are probably the two most loving older brothers I’ve ever seen. They are attentive to their little sister, loving, protective, defensive and encouraging. When Allyssa was born, Christy recalls the doctor approaching her bedside, telling her that something was wrong. “ That was the scariest moment of my life,” she said. The doctor went on to tell them that their baby’s arm didn’t develop. “ That was the first time I’d heard of an Amniotic Band. Those two little words have changed my life.” How often have mother’s everywhere counted ten little toes and fingers…Christy counted only five fingers. For a short time, Christy grieved her worldly ideas of what a daughter should be - then she came to realize that Allyssa was given to them exactly as God intended. “ I feel like I am part of something extraordinary because He chose me to be her momma. God will use my special child and other special children if we allow His spirit to move through us,” she said. As Allyssa grows, her blonde curls and big blue eyes so angelic, and her personality so special and unique, the arm becomes less noticeable to those who know her. She literally bubbles For this child, the world holds untold riches of the heart – people will single her out to be a role model for other children who are special, they will whisper words of encouragement and endearment in her ear - those words will give her confidence and strength. But, in her life, there will be other words – carelessly flung by children who don’t realize their sting and the bitterness they carry. There will always be little girls who flash both arms out in front of her, making it a point to show her the difference, and little boys who will be curious and unaware that they are staring. Kids say the darnedst, meanest, silliest, most obnoxious things, and there will be times when the barbs will be painful, will fill her with sorrow and make her cry. Then again, there will be children who take their arms out of their sleeves so that they can all be more like Allyssa. There will be little boys who realize that she is kinder, sweeter and more patient than some of the rest… and someday, a prince will show up and claim her as his bride. No, Allyssa’s life will not always be easy, there will be burdens sometimes, but it has already begun to build her character, her little eyes are wise beyond their years even at the age of three. She will be the stuff that people like Princess Diana, Mother Theresa and Helen Keller were made of – strong, confident, and ready to take on the world. How do I know this? Well, for one thing, I know her momma. Christy says that if God were to say to her today, “ Christy, I have this one little girl, she’s beautiful, smart, perfect, and all the children will follow her because of her wit and her charm… but she is totally lacking in compassion, her heart is self-absorbed and it will be very difficult for her to understand the struggles of others less fortunate. And I have this other little girl … she looks a little different, the world won’t always think she’s beautiful, she will have a temper like a wildcat but the heart of a servant. She will have the gift of compassion and hospitality - she won’t always finish first, but her heart will be full of sensitivity. Which one do you want? My answer is that no matter what the future brings, I will choose Allyssa every time.” “ Sometimes I have to close my bedroom door, get down on my knees and cry and pray,” Christy confessed.” I can’t think of the words to articulate to the Good Lord, but I feel certain that He knows what’s in my heart. I thank Him for Allyssa just as she is – and I thank Him for giving her two brothers just as they are. I thank Him for the loving, adoring, unconditional eyes they see her through.” “ I ask god to please create a heart and soul that belongs to a boy somewhere that is meant to love her just the same as we do. I ask God to create two loving women that have these same eyes with which to see the hearts of my boys. I ask these things for my children and for all children.” With an attitude like that instilled into her since birth, how can Allyssa fail to thrive and blossom into just what God intended for her? Maybe God, in His infinite wisdom wanted to keep a little part of her for Himself - a tiny hand he could hold close to His heart as he watched her grow. Maybe He has something so special in store for Allyssa that there needed to be some small imperfection to offset the radiance of her star. Whatever it is, Allyssa Cate is most fearfully and wonderfully made, just like all the rest of God’s creations. This story is for all children, especially the ones with, ‘baby arms’ like Allyssa’s, or crooked smiles, funny walks, silly laughs, chubby bellies, or hair and skin that aren’t perfect…it doesn’t matter if it is Cerebral Palsy, or Tay Sachs or Downs Syndrome…no matter if it is a birth mark, a limp, a clouded eye, it just doesn’t matter what the difference is. “ It doesn’t matter what the special circumstance, it hurts when someone else doesn’t see the beauty in our children. This is a heartbreak that parents of these beautiful children will have to deal with, but what God has revealed to me through Allyssa’s time here is that the old saying is true…beauty is as beauty does.” What wondrous lessons we can learn from the people in our lives that have walked through this world in shoes we can never hope to fill…