Jeff Leeland
“A place where love rarely goes without saying, where courage and endurance are dominant themes.” (One Small Sparrow, 57)
“After months of hardship and grace, pain and joy, fear and hope, we feel an overpowering and consuming love for our children.” (One Small Sparrow, 190)
“Any task that draws us near to our son, even temporarily, is a labor of love.” (One Small Sparrow, 196)
“As I write in my journal, my words form an appeal to the Highest Authority, a prayer addressed to God, my only hope.
“My little boy is dying.
“I am left with only a meager petition, a heart cry to heaven. I fall before the throne of my good and merciful King, casting before Him the shattered pieces of my soul.
“I reach up to God not merely for a handout nor with a clenched, demanding fist, but with a childlike hand of faith, seeking only the Father's touch. I am satisfied only to know His presence and the power of His love.” (One Small Sparrow, 77)
“Big people are making a difference--getting donations, holding raffles, writing letters, holding garage sales to save our baby boy.
“Little people are making a difference--breaking their piggy banks, breaking our hearts.” (One Small Sparrow, 126)
“But will we take the risk of facing our pain, a pain that would drive us to a Father who cares?” (One Small Sparrow, 60)
“Each passing day brings brighter hopes for more tomorrows, but still we must live just for today.” (One Small Sparrow, 222)
“Empathy powerfully shatters the pain barrier with love.” (One Small Sparrow, 83)
“From the first days of Michael's diagnosis to the long, anxious walks through hospital hallways, we sensed He, too, had a tear in His eye. His tender hand of mercy cradled our sick baby and soothed the spirits of our family. We held tightly to the belief that not one ounce of pain goes to waste in His hands. Somehow, as we placed it there, He molded our pain into hope.” (One Small Sparrow, 217)
“Grace, like the wind--unseen and uncontained--is known only by the effect outside of itself. Yesterday we had nothing but a prayer; today we see the touch of a powerful God.” (One Small Sparrow, 84)
“He is the One with limitless power, with infinite goodness, who will do abundantly more than I can ever ask or imagine.” (One Small Sparrow, 172)
“He masterfully paints His beautiful picture of love and grace indelibly on our souls.” (One Small Sparrow, 118)
“How our lives are touched by children! Their love, devotion, and simple innocence, their genuineness. So unstained by the world, so fresh from above... approaching pure grace.” (One Small Sparrow, 135)
“Inspiration is born not in the size of the spoil but in the size of the battle.” (One Small Sparrow, 126)
“It is now becoming clearer to us that as the manmade institutions we feverishly cling to fail us, God will provide in His own perfect time and in His own perfect way. He is faithfully about His business of warming the hearts of those whom He would have willingly share in Michael's healing.
“We are emptied, only to be filled with more faith in our God to work His means to His perfect end to our dilemma. Somehow, He brings intangible peace in the midst of tangible uncertainty.
“If the funds are not there by the deadline, we will trust it is for Michael's best.
“Maybe God has a better plan.” (One Small Sparrow, 106)
“It's a bright and cheery place--homey, even--filled with hope and love.” (One Small Sparrow, 57)
“Lessons from children, fundamental values. Approaching simplicity once again after going full circle around a complicated world. These are lessons of child-like faith in God, of purity, growth, love, enjoying life.” (One Small Sparrow, 136)
“Like living in a dream world, we are crushed one moment by a nightmarish dilemma, while the next moment a beautiful love story restores our faith and hope. Each day is a mixture of deep pain and incredible love.” (One Small Sparrow, 124)
“Love overcomes fear.” (One Small Sparrow, 187)
“Now Michael's words are the last, small links needed to complete the full circle of love, the circle Jesus spoke of when He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
“And perhaps Michael will be one, like Dameon, to pass along the debt of love. Perhaps, by God's grace, Michael's story will continue.” (One Small Sparrow, 223)
“Such a faith approaches God as a loving Father, not some kind of prayer-operated vending machine. A faith that finds more pleasure in the grasp of His hand than gain of a handout. A faith that seeks first a relationship with Him before the results I desperately desire.” (One Small Sparrow, 172)
“The parents of preemies and cancer patients share a like passion: they all carry an emotional burden for a precious little one. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor--all are brought together in the grip of pain.” (One Small Sparrow, 57)
“The urgency of his need forces us as parents to choose one of two emotional pathways. One, a way of demands, anger, anxiety, fear. The other, a way of trust, to be at peace in the face of disappointment, to do what's loving, true, and good despite the circumstances, to have hope for a better tomorrow.
We choose the path of grace instead of vengeance.” (One Small Sparrow, 95)
“The whole climate of Kamiakin Junior High is changed by compassion. Students, faculty, staff, and administration are united, not by a fund-raiser, but by a mission of mercy.
“We are awestruck by this outpouring of love, inspiration, and energy from the kids as they rip the baton from teachers' hands in a race for Michael's life.” (One Small Sparrow, 100-1)
“These children with incredible innocence daily face pain and adversity with utter dignity and courage, turning tragedy into triumph, striking chords of passion, sounding the depths of heart and soul.” (One Small Sparrow, 47)
“Those who once seemed to be cold, uncaring, distant, Seattle city dwellers now come alive as warm, compassionate neighbors uniting in love for our little boy.” (One Small Sparrow, 118)
“We are weary, but ecstatic. Things are out of our hands, but in Other hands.
“Tonight we go to bed with unbelievable hope.” (One Small Sparrow, 111)
“We have arrived at a new season of
Waiting,
hoping,
praying
to the One who chuckles at impossible odds.” (One Small Sparrow, 56)
“We have discovered along our hard journey two kinds of hope. One looks forward to the final destination, the other for the strength and wisdom to move toward it. Both rest in God's faithful provision.” (One Small Sparrow, 163)
“We hold again a little sparrow, loaned back to us with hand prints from heaven.” (One Small Sparrow, 203)
“We read, save, and cherish the hundreds and hundreds of cards and letters that accompanied the gifts.
They are all treasures, legacies of love, constant reminders that we're never alone, that everyone has something to give, that everyone matters.” (One Small Sparrow, 136-7)
“What if he cries out for his mother's warm touch? How will we comfort him? How will we communicate our love?
“The answer to these questions, we are convinced, must rest in the hands of the same loving God who already has shown His ability to turn tragedy into triumph. Once again we must simply trust Him and let go.” (One Small Sparrow, 162)
“Whatever my lot, for today I am called simply to be faithful and grateful, to wait for justice not bound by time, mercy not limited by circumstances. I am called to wait patiently for the unfolding of His perfect plan.” (One Small Sparrow, 77)
“When tempted to quit, we're reminded of higher stakes and higher purposes. We recall who is watching, who cares more about what we're becoming than what we're achieving. We know He cares more about our direction than our progress.
“For now we must simply look to Him.” (One Small Sparrow, 69)
“With eyes of faith now lifted up, we find encouragement to press on. We know the worst may yet confront us, so we will cling to the hand of our loving Father. Better to follow Him through the darkness than to cower alone in self-protection!” (One Small Sparrow, 104)