Here is finally my Lilliana story:
Lilliana is a very special girl, and my friend. She is four and has a genetically caused condition that makes some of her development more difficult. Part of that difficulty is that she often "get's stuck," as her mother says, in the middle of sentences or activities. When she speaks, it sometimes sounds like stuttering, but it is actually not stuttering. She always is so full of excitement that no one cares about her "stuttering." She tries to calm down, repeats her words until the sentence is out, and then she bursts out--with her whole body--into happiness. She tenses her whole body, wiggles back and forth from one side to the other, and squeeks. you can't but love her. There is so much love and joy in her. Lilliana reminds me of how excited I was about life when I was her age (not that I am not excited now, but it came much easier back then...) :-).
One day I realized she came into the phase where she continuously says: "mom?" and then asks her mom a qustion (like all other kids in that age). I told her mother, Fauneil, that my mother always just answered with a "hum-um!" (sung in a descending fourth), until I finally exploded and demanded "MOM!," knowing that it was just a diverting technique. Lilliana caught hold on my mom's "hum'um!" (in the descending fourth) and now kept singin it. In fact, she would ask me to say "mom?" over and over, so that she could keep saying "hum-um!". We had created a monster. In the beginning it was funny and very cute, but now for the rest of the night Lilly would keep going. We all finally were exhausted and Lillie's parent's had to tell her to be quiet "or you have to go to your room until you can come out quiet again!" One can't be mad at her, because of her precondition that makes her repeat and enjoy things over and over and because she is so full of joy. But we were all exhausted.
Lilly tried so hard. As the evening conveined and we had family home evening, Lilly sat on the couch very quietly and still. Like a very good and patient girl. Finally, after 15 minutes her dad called on her to say the closing prayer. Lilly: (and this is paraphrased--you could hear an average of every third word): "Dear heavnl. Father! ...Thank ...family home evening...and...MANJA!...come..my house......"HUM-UM!" (sung in a descending fourth). We had to try so hard to not burst out into laughter during prayer. How authentically Lilly enjoys life and shares it with everyone around her. She is grateful for such little things as "Hum-um!". I have much to learn from her.
