Dyslexia is something that not only runs in our family I believe it ‘lopes.” We have learned to embrace dyslexia and accept it as part of our family. Instead of seeing it as a learning problem, we see it as a blessing; it is a way of looking and learning outside the box.

One Christmas as be begun to decorate the house for the holidays, Rachel grabbed up the small wooden train that spelled out ‘Noel’ and placed it on the special shelf where it sat each year. There was Christmas music playing in the background and everyone was filled with excitement as we placed our special ornaments on the tree.

As we finished up the decorating and began to pack away the boxes I looked up at the shelf where the 'Noel' train sat and saw that Rachel had placed the train so that is spelled out 'leoN'. I carefully took her and showed her how it was supposed to be placed so that is spelled out 'Noel'. She nodded and smiled her sweet precious smile in understanding.

The following year as we decorated for the holidays, Rachel again placed the 'Noel' train on the shelf. Several days passed before I saw 'leoN' spelled out with the train. Again I showed her the way it was to be placed so that it read 'Noel'. “I got it now, Momma” she said.

That year seemed to go by quickly and we turned around twice and we were decorating again. That evening as we were surveying the house with it Christmassy looks and smells Rachel grabbed my hand and pulled me over the shelf. “I did it, I did it” she stated excitedly. As I looked at our 'Noel' train it spelled out 'leoN'. “Ya know” I said, “I think it is time we start a new tradition. This 'Noel' train will no longer spell out 'Noel', but from this Christmas forward it shall say ‘leoN.'” We laughed together and Rachel’s eye twinkled.

Each Christmas thereafter the wooden ‘leoN’ train got its special place on the shelf. We even added other traditions to our family. One year the girls put Christmas lights on the outside of the house. The trees, bushes and eaves glimmered with lights. Last they climbed on the house and worked on the roof with the lights. As evening approached, the girls came in the house laughing, their faces and fingers were cold and they were out of breath. “Mom, hurry you have to see this.” They grabbed my hands and drugged me out the front door. The pushing, shoving and laughter was infectious.

We marched out the door, down the sidewalk and into the street. “Ok Mom, turn around and look.” The sun had long set and the night was chilly as I feasted my eyes around the yard. It was magical, and then my eyes went to the roof, something was written there. “Mom, don’t you get it?” “It spells leoN.” And sure enough, spelled out on the roof in Christmas lights was ‘leoN', bold and shining for the entire world to see. We knew that if a dyslexic pilot flew over our house, he would know immediately that the lights on our roof spelled out ‘Noel.”

Ephesians 4:11-15 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ;”