Leisha was born with 18q deletion which is translated to a partial deletion of the 18th Chromosome. Anyone wishing more information on this syndrome is very welcome to email me and I will be happy to share all information that I have. There are few children actually born with this syndrome because the rate of fetal viability is very low.

Leisha died at the age of 8. She weighed 14 pounds and this was the top weight for her. She had many problems, including failure to thrive (the most obvious), cleft palate (not lip), hypotonia, and microcephaly. And she was so beautiful; I can't describe her well enough - please check out her picture.

All that being said, I want you to know that she is my angel. I feel so very priviledged to have had her for as long as I did and I feel great comfort in knowing that she is back in God's hands and suffers no more. She is truly the 'little angel of mine'.



LEISHA'S LIGHTS

Why all the lights?--you may ask....continue





Leisha did not see very well and because of the difficulty testing her, how well she could see could not be determined.
One day not long after her first or second Christmas - I took the Christmas tree down as we all do. Leisha seemed to be looking at the spot where the tree was. She fussed out loud in the sweetest way and I tried to figure out what it was that she was trying to tell me. Then one day, I could tell that she was looking at a bright colorful light and smiling the biggest smile such a small girl could have....and it dawned on me that she could see the Christmas tree lights and she 'missed' them.

That very day I went out and bought a 6' silk ficus tree and put 280 or so lights on it and set it up in the living room (this was around February or March). I took Leisha in to lay on 'her spot' on the sofa and faced her to the tree. Then I cautiously and hopefully went to the tree and light switch and holding my breath---I turned on the lights... 280 of them. I saw Leisha's eyes shine and a smile came upon her face-and at that moment I knew that she could see - she could at least see colors, bright beautiful colors and the smile on her face was worth a million times the cost of the tree and finding the lights 'at that time of year'.


So year after year, at Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, Halloween, and every other day of the year----Leisha's tree was on for her when she was home in her comfy little spot in this earth---and she smiled, and smiled, and smiled, the smile that only an Angel has.

And I remember a Halloween night when children were coming to our door for their trick or treats; some parents that were accompanying their children saw the lights (and they were Christmas lights) so I explained briefly why they were there (this was October). I knew that some of those parents left there with a greater love for their own children.

God does protect us and watch over us, and he never gives us more than we can handle if we ask his help (or even if we don't ask).

Leisha, my little angel, here are the lights-- and they are all for you. Enjoy!







May 1992, three months before her fifth birthday, cradled in my arms.


Please give your child a great big hug tonight.



Angel In My Path

On my way to a usual place
I felt a presence near,
It seemed a routine trip at first
But I knew that she was here,

I traveled along as I usually do
Hurried - with foot on the gas,
Then I spied the presence of
The angel in my path,



Disguised in a robe of yellow
She fluttered to be seen,
Her appearance as a butterfly
Surely did not fool me.

The angel danced before me
In the breezes of the day,
She knew just how to touch my heart
In the sweetest way.
—Rhonda Highsmith—




Little Angels

When God Calls Little Children
To dwell With Him above
We mortals sometime question
The wisdom of His love


For no heartache compares with
the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world,
seem wonderful and mild


Perhaps God tires Of calling
The aged to his fold
So He picks a little rosebud,
before it can grow old


God knows how much we need them,
so he takes but a few
To make the land of Heaven
more beautiful to view


Believing this is difficult
still somehow we must try
The saddest word mankind knows
will always be " good-bye"


So when a little child departs,
we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children,
Angels are hard to find


--Author Unknown--
(But we thank you for this poem)

I ONLY WANTED YOU

They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true.
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.

A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died.


In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
no one could ever fill.


If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven
and bring you back again.


Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one,
the chain will link again.


--Author Unknown--
(But Thank You so much)



The following poem was written by my now 24-year old stepson,
Martin Highsmith. He wrote this at the age of 17 and is a great young man.

My Little Angel

She gave so much to be so little
She filled our hearts with love.
And though her time on earth was short,
I know she is now above.


She has gone to be with Jesus now,
Doing things she could never do.
And one day when I arrive in heaven
I will see her, and Jesus too.


I cannot wait til I see you again,
To join you in our home above.
Where you and I will live forever
Basking in God's eternal love.
----Martin Highmith----
(Thank you Martin)



The poem below was sent to me by my dad who believes as I do that
blessings are often packaged differently than you would expect.

The Little Child Whispered

The little child whispered,
"God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang
But the child did not hear.

So the child yelled,
"God, speak to me!"
And the thunder rolled across the sky
But the child did not listen.

The child looked around and said,
"God, let me see you"
And a star shone brightly
But the child did not notice.

And the child shouted,
"God, show me a miracle!"
And a life was born
But the child did not know.

So the child cried out in despair,
"Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
Whereupon God reached down and touched the child,
But the child brushed the butterfly away,
And walked away unknowingly.

Often times, the things we seek are
right underneath our noses.
Don't miss out on your blessing because
it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

-Anonymous -



The Butterfly

(author unknown)

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day he saw a small opening
in the cocoon. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it
struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had
gotten as far as it could and could go no further...

So, the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors
and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then
emerged easily, but, it had a swollen body, and small shriveled wings.

He continued to watch the butterfly, because he expected that, at any
moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body, which
would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never
able to fly.

What he had done, in his well-intentioned kindness and haste, was fail
to understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to
get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the
body of the butterfly into it's wings so that it would be ready for
flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God
allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would
cripple us.

We would not be as strong as we could have been....And we could never
fly.....Have a great day, a great life, struggle a little...Then fly!

More Poems for Leisha Here

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The music you are listening to is 'Angels In The Wind'.