If you know the Bower family well, you know that we are a blessed family. While we have had our share of misfortune, we are keenly aware that God has worked all things for good. God is indeed great—All the time. Our eldest son is living proof of that reality.
He was the original “mistake,” coming into this world 27 years ago this week. Rhonda and I were blessed with a healthy baby boy on November 18, 1992, right in the middle of our senior year of college. We were not married at the time but there is no doubt that Aaron Philip Petry-Bower (his full legal name) was destined to bless us in innumerable ways.
The very first blessing that Aaron bestowed on us was that he brought his parents closer together. Thankfully, Aaron’s grandparents agreed to be his first regular caretakers while Rhonda and I completed college. We traveled from Benedictine College to our respective hometowns (Council Bluffs, IA, and Olathe, KS) nearly every weekend until graduation. This constant travel gave us the perfect opportunity to talk and spend time really discussing our hopes and dreams.
Aaron’s role in bringing Rhonda and I closer together as young college students cannot be understated. As I look back on my life, it’s become quite obvious that God had a plan for me/us all along. We are living proof that God can and will bring good things out of our weaknesses and sins. In this case, I now understand that Aaron was fulfilling one of the many purposes God had (and has) for his life (and boy, am I extremely thankful for that purpose).
As if that wasn’t enough, in 2009, Aaron was diagnosed with a lesion on his brain. The neurosurgeon suggested that we have it repaired. So our boy, all of 16 years old at the time, was wheeled into the operating room. He was under the knife for 10 hours as the lesion turned out to be a tumor (benign) and the doctors took special care to remove it.
When he emerged from surgery (after being in a coma for hours), he awoke to find that he was effectively paralyzed. Rhonda and I have never been so scared in our lives. But yet again, our main man pulled through and taught us another valuable lesson: Never take your family (or friends) for granted.
As the years have moved on, Aaron has become the most loving, warm, and affectionate person in our family. You wouldn’t have any idea to look at him that his 2009 surgery enhanced his learning disabilities. You would only notice them if you get a chance to talk to him face to face. And even when you notice them, you wouldn’t care in the slightest. You’d realize pretty quickly that this young man is unique and special. He is a living witness to Jesus Christ: He loves everyone and he forgives wrongs immediately.
There are many, many more ways that Aaron has enhanced my life and the lives of all the people with whom he has had the pleasure to meet. In fact, if you have spent any time with him and he sees you again weeks or months later, he’ll gladly stride across the room to say hello and strike up a conversation. He may not remember your name but he doesn’t care. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all acted that way?
I’ll admit that on some occasions, I have wished that Aaron acted with a bit more tact and diplomacy. But it isn’t too much later that I have realized that Aaron isn’t the one who needs to change. Rather, all of us need a little bit more (or A LOT more, in my case) of the courage and love that Aaron Bower possesses.
Happy 27th Birthday, A-Dog! We all love you more than you will ever know.