Making Peace

They say my child has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
That FAS is not curable, not healable, not fixable.
I have been told the rages and confusion and behaviors 
may never go away.

These are the words we constantly hear,
that we want to push away, ignore, not admit, 
not listen to, not believe.
Unthinkable words, 
words we are not used to hearing or thinking about, 
not programmed to accept, 
nor supposed to relate to. 
Certainly not about someone we love, 
someone we care for, 
someone we have high hopes for.

How does one make peace with these words? 
Where do you find normalcy, 
obtain balance or resolution? 
How do we discover good, 
attain a place for the future 
for our child, our family? 
How do we realize harmony?

How does one understand 
this perpetually disordered state of mind? 
Can we see past this condition,
 this illness, 
over and above these diagnoses, 
accept these predisposition's, 
endure these behaviors?
What is the formula?
Is there a way? 

To you, my friends, my parents, 
my teachers, my doctors, my nurses,

It takes...

Time
to see them struggle through the bad times 
and the good,

Understanding
to have sympathy and tolerance 
that they are people in enormous pain,

Knowledge
to be familiar with that 
which is common to their life's struggles,

Faith
to have a firm conviction in them 
and the innate goodness and abilities 
that are born into all of us,

Patience
in bearing the pain or trials calmly 
without complaint 
and manifesting forbearance 
under the provocation or strain they bring into your life,

Willingness
to accept by choice 
without reluctance 
that their lives are worthwhile and have meaning,

Love