Mushkie Landau is a mother of two boys, Mendy age 5 and Shneor, a sweet 4 year old with special needs. Mushkie , a proactive parent knows she is up against a lot of challenges in raising Shneor and she made a blog to share her ups and downs with other mothers to give them strength to carry on their noble mission mothering children with special needs.
In a post, Mushkie relates how she met a woman she didn’t know waiting on line for an appointment with the professionals tracking Shneur’s development. They were talking when the woman asked her , “What does this do to your faith, being the mother of a special needs child?”
“I was asked this question so many times and I have so many answers to it. The truth is that this question is really relevant to all of us. No one is spared even at this very moment from difficulties, challenges or troubles during which their faith is put to the test. When I think about it, the question really needs to be the opposite. Not what do circumstances do to our faith but what does our faith do to circumstances and how does our faith help us overcome the challenge before us? How am I as a woman who believes (in G-d), different than other women facing a similar challenge?”
“There are moments when I sit opposite doctors and hear dire predictions for my son.”
“Raising a child with special needs is a long journey with ups and downs. Many moments of difficulty and small points of light that make all the hardship worthwhile and give me the strength to continue. I believe that before G-d gave me Shneor, I had great strengths hidden inside me to help cope with him. I also believe the Shneor also has his own unique mission in the world. A mission that if Shneor would not have special needs it is possible that he wouldn’t be able to fulfill. I merited raising this elevated soul and being part of his special mission.”
But even in the happiness and sense of purpose Mushkie doesn’t hide the hardship. “There are times I must sit opposite doctors and hear dire predictions for my son. Times where I need to hear that inspite of all the work and progress Shneor made this past year, he is still far away from appropriate function for his age level.”
But even in those difficult times Mushkie musters up the strength of her faith out of nowhere, to face the challenge. “Specifically at those times I choose to look at reality with believing eyes, knowing that I am not alone and there’s a third partner involved; to see how G-d accompanies me every moment and the divine providence woven into my life.”
“Looking back I see the hand of G-d that accompanied me every step of the way”
Part of this divine providence and preparation for her mission was the fact that both Mushkie and her husband volunteered in “Yad Layeled Hameyuchad” a nonprofit that assists special needs children. “Two years before Shneor was born my husband was appointed deputy ceo of the organization. That we are still young, strong and able to cope with the challenge before Shneor was born was also an early preparation for the challenge.”
Not only that, but Mushkie considers it a great kindness from G-d “that Shneor is such a beautiful child and having personal charm that causes all his caretakers to immediately fall in love with him.” It is this and so many other things that when looking back at them, I see the hand of G-d that accompanied me every step of the way.”
“We learn from the Torah portion about G-d appearing to Abraham thing that can give us strength for the whole year; to always look for the personal divine revelation in our own lives:
The Admor Rashab (a previous leader of Chabad) Rabbi Shalom Duber of Lubavitch was 4 or 5 years old he went into his grandfather the “Tzemach Tzedek” and started crying; “why did G-d appear to Abraham and He doesn’t appear to us?” the Tzemach Tzedek answered, ‘when a 99 year old man circumcises himself because G-d asked, he is worthy of G-d’s visit.”
“When a person realizes that his life is for doing G-d’s will even when it seems impossible, he will see G-d every step of the way.”