My Superman

John turned 60 on September 5. The next day our church helped me give him a big party, with a Superman theme. When he got Polio as a six-year-old, he couldn't hold regular books, so a hospital volunteer taught him to read with Superman comic books. Since that time, Superman has been of his favorite fictional characters.

When he was hospitalized as a six-year-old, his prognosis was grim. The Lord mercifully pulled him through. Despite missing three years of school (and having a home-tutor only three days a week that third year), when he finally returned to school, the teacher placed him in an advanced reading class!

At age 13, he had a rod put in his back to halt the scoliosis. He exercised on crutches for many years, till his doctor realized that the exhaustion was greater than the benefits.

In the 70's, he was hospitalized several times, and had a few close calls with death. He cast himself on the Lord, knowing physical death only meant being face-to-face with Jesus. (Not bad.) When he was about 40, he suffered a stroke, which further weakened his body.

John has always refused to complain, although no one could possibly blame him if he succumbed to that temptation. In the eleven years that I've known him, his example of thankfulness and trust in the Lord have given me a model for rejecting self-pity.

I didn't have a Superman theme at his party simply because he loves Superman. To be sure, that was a factor. But John has beaten the odds by turning 60. In a very real way, consequently, he is my Superman!

Sadly, I can't post all the photos from the party, but here are a few of my favorites: