The extraordinary peek-a-boo opponent.

Peek-a-boo is a pretty normal game to play with kids. It's a really easy way to keep a baby entertained. It can even been fun for the adult to play if the child is interactive and easily amused. We've all been there--made the faces and laughed with delight at the immediate, joyous reaction.

Have you ever played it ten times in a row? How about twenty? How about five times an hour every hour for a whole day? Times 180 days?

Erika Gascho has. And she is my hero. My extraordinary peek-a-boo opponent.



Twin day!

I had the privilege of getting to know Erika when I worked as an assistant in a multiple disabilities classroom this past year. She was the teacher of our students, and even more so, a teacher of me. We started the year with nine kids, and settled about half-way through with six. Trust me--in that classroom six was still an enormous number. Our beautiful, unique and particular children required everything from us. Emotionally, physically and socially they depended on our care to survive. There were good days, and there were bad days. All around, it was the hardest and most demanding job I have ever had.

Erika (though she would deny it) was truly a life changer in that classroom. She was so attentive to the needs of every child, and her endless energy and positive interactions were nothing short of inspiring. After just one week of working with her, she changed my entire perception of special needs students. That girl listened. She was able to hear and see and feel things that I was incapable of. She loved our kids with such a genuine and pure heart. She enjoyed them. You could see it on her face, in the way she taught and provided for them.

And I will be the first to tell you, that class was no walk in the park. We both struggled. There were times when we wanted to quit, where we felt hopeless, where we didn't know what else we could do. But if there is one thing that Erika taught me, it was that those kids were worth it. That they had personalities and lives to live that deserved to be shared with the world. And while we were definitely burnt out towards the end, there is no doubt in my mind that she loved those students with her whole heart. She carried their burdens, fought for them, and never stopped showing compassion.

Best of all, she knows how to laugh! We had so many funny moments with those kids, and there is no one else I would have rather shared them with. The amount of inside jokes we had was kind of sickening, and I'm sure annoying to anyone who hung out in our classroom for more than five minutes. Whenever I ever hear or see anyone playing peek-a-boo, I will forever think of her and the endless times she played that game with our students. And let me tell you, no adult could match her willingness to play it over and over again. No. One.



Erika and her husband, Andrew

Finally, (I could seriously write forever about her) she was my very best friend this year. As I have mentioned before, this season of life was incredibly hard for me--maybe the hardest. She walked through it with me boldly, with great patience, and with no hesitation. She made me feel heard and well loved. She gave advice when needed and never made me feel small. In short, she became my sister. As one of the teachers at Smithland said, we went through war together. I don't think anyone could ever replace her this year, and I am SO THANKFUL that she was a part of my life. God certainly knew what He was doing giving us each other.

So Erika--here's to you! Thank you for being my teacher, friend, sister, and ultimate peek-a-boo opponent. You are going to continue to change lives whether you like it or not...get ready world, you will never be the same!