Friday Faith - Calling All Angels For My Friend SAM

You may have read about my friend Sam. He has been very sick at the childrens hospital for the past 5 days. They cannot seem to figure out what is wrong. He has been very dehydrated, can't seem to keep anything in and has extreme pain. I could go into all the medical details but, suffice it to say, it is critical. He could really use as many prayers and as much positive karma as he can get from everyone. He is a very special little guy. May God Bless him that he will have the strength to pull through this very scary and life threatening situation. Please join me in sharing a prayer for him. He and his family really appreciate it. Thanks y'all.

I have a friend and as we like to think a brother named Sam. Sam is a bright , loving, engaging fellow. He is extremely smart, brilliant in his own right. What makes Sam so special is the vibrance his smile brings to every room he enters. From the first time I met Sam he and I made eye contact and without hesitation he smiled his loving infectious smile at me, and ever since, we have been buddies, friends and brothers. Every time our eyes meet when we get together for BBQ's or just drop by to say hello or play in the neighborhood I am greeted with the same smile. My family and I love Sam. Sam was born April 27th, 2005 to Barb & Mark Rizk, our friends who are such loving parents. Sam, however, was born with Down's syndrome, or trisomy 21, a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described the syndrome in 1866.

Some refer to this as a disorder, but to meet Sam you would soon find that this is not a disorder but a specialness that defines him. He seems to define himself through love of the world around him, his friends, family and his beloved dog JJ. I sat with Sam on the beach in Oregon this summer and we watched the waves and the birds and smelled the clean ocean air. Without any words, Sam conducts a symphony of life among all things around him. I just know he has an inner brilliance and understanding that none of us will ever realize. An intuitiveness that defies explanation. Sam will aspire to greatness one day and it will be grand pleasure to be there to watch him ascend those heights. To know Sam makes me a better person. To know that I am Sam's friend is an honor and a privilege.

Tony