A Day At The Races

When we visited First Assembly in DeLand on April 12, 2006, we had the great pleasure of meeting Pastor Mike Modica, Tim and Marie Kuck of Nathaniel's Hope, and Bob Minotti of Joey's Gift. While we were talking about the new outreach work to the special needs community in DeLand that First Assembly was embarking on, Pastor Modica started discussing the upcoming events for the Easter weekend. Among those events being discussed was an event called "Keep 'm Smiling Day at the Races." As Pastor Modica started to explain all that was going to happen with this weekend, Rebecca went from being passively engaged with all that was happening in the office to being an active listener. She actually squealed at one point. She was, in her own special way, making it clear that she was interested. When I told Pastor Modica that we had an open weekend due to a service cancellation, he immediately invited us to attend. I thought Rebecca was going to jump out of her chair.

That was Wednesday. By Friday, Rebecca was very sick to her stomach. She was up at 3AM crying over her sickness. We finally settled her down about 6AM and she slept until early afternoon. A day at the races was not looking good. That night, as our activities for the day were drawing to a conclusion, I asked Rebecca about the races. She clearly indicated that she wanted to go. So I made a deal with her.

Now remember, Rebecca cannot walk and cannot talk. Nevertheless, she can understand everything going on around her and she can communicate her expectations through squawks and squeals. The deal with Rebecca was that she was to go to bed now and when I came to wake her up at 5AM, she had to be a happy camper about getting up that early. Any of you with teenagers understand that last part and how hard it can be for someone of Rebecca's age. So we all went off to bed, resting up for the next morning.

As frequently happens, I woke to a very quite house a few minutes before the alarm clock went off. There was not a sound from anywhere. I expected that when the clock buzzed, I would go try to wake Rebecca and she would turn me away with a grumpy shout or cry. I would then be free to reset the clock for a more reasonable hour and return to bed.

The minutes passed and the buzzer on the clock went off. I climbed out of bed, walked across the room and reached for the snooze button. I expected a continuation of the quite I had heard before the alarm went off. However, my expectations were interrupted by the sounds of a 13-year-old girl's giggles coming from across the house. I knew I was in trouble. I walked to her room and sure enough, there was Rebecca, wide smile on her face, gentle giggle coming out of her mouth. She knew it was time to get ready for her very first day at the races.

You have got to understand, we are not a racing family. However, Rebecca has seen the major races on TV. She knows what racing is about. And she is as excited as can be to be going to a day at the races. Even more so, to have an opportunity to see the cars up close and to meet the drivers. She is just bubbling over with excitement.

That excitement continues as we make the nearly four hour drive up to Daytona. Along the way, I had the nerve to pull off the interstate to go through a Starbucks drive-through. She let me know that I was risking her plans for the day. It was as if that one cup of coffee was going to cause her to miss something significant. Did I ever mention that Rebecca is very impatient. If she could be assessed on the proper scales, I'm sure she would come out as a classic "Type-A" personality.

In spite of Rebecca's doubts and impatience, we did arrive at the speedway on time. We registered and went on to our first stop -- Victory Lane. This is the same Victory Lane where the winning race cars on the televised races come so the drivers can receive their trophies. There we were, on Victory Lane, standing next to an actual Daytona International race car. It was an exciting time for both of us.

In addition to Rebecca and I, this event drew about 200 special needs children and their families. After a briefing by the founder of the Continental Historic Racing Association, we heard from one of the race car drivers about safety on the track and on our visit to the track. That was followed by the first leg of a two-segment race. Each segment is a timed hour of racing, with a break in between. At the end of the first leg, and during the break, we stopped to eat a box lunch. Once all the cars were parked in the garage, we were then allowed into the garage area to see the cars, met the drivers, and take pictures. That is where Rebecca had her most enjoyable time.

There are many things that will excite Rebecca. However, there are two things that really excite her -- Pastors and fast cars. She had both with her in the garage. While Rebecca and I were reviewing the cars, she bumped into Pastor Modica and greeted him with her classic smile. He stopped for a minute to take a photo, then Rebecca went about her task of finding the best of her second love -- fast cars.

And Rebecca has a good eye for fast cars. There were several Porsche cars in the race, but she was taken by this very brightly colored one. I could see the plot forming in her mind. She found a pastor, she found a fast car, now all she needed to do was to get the two together and she might get a ride around the track. Unfortunately, her bubble was quickly popped when I pointed out to her that while the seat in the car had a five-point restraint system, much like her car seat, it only had one seat. And that seat was reserved for the driver. There was no way she could get Pastor Modica or anyone else to take her for a high-speed lap around the track.

Was she disappointed? If so, she never showed it. Once our garage time was complete, we all gathered for a group photo around a very large, very green, very fast car. For those of you who have heard the story of Manuel in Honduras, the wheelchair was this same kind of green. That story, based on wheels, was a miracle that made everyone involved smile. This green car today belonged to a man who lent his name and status to help hundreds of children and their families to smile for a day.

You may be wondering, where are the deep spiritual lessons from this day of fun. There may be a message that comes out of this some day. For now, the only lesson is that we should all take time to give our children special days. This was a very special day made possible by many very loving and giving people. Perhaps that's the lesson. Take whatever God-given talents you have and put them to work to brighten the day of someone else. When you do, you may become a hero to someone very special. As for Rebecca, when she looks at Pastor Modica, Mr. Tim, Mrs. Marie, Mr. Bob, all the drivers, all the helpers from CHRA and Nathaniel's Hope, she sees an army of heroes. Thanks for all you did to make her day a special one.