Today is an ordinary Sunday. The sun is finally shining and my boys are being...well, boys. But I'm thankful today... for a few reasons.
We took the boys this morning to a special movie showing of Madagascar. It was at 930AM sponsored by our local SEPAC. (SEPAC is a Special Ed Parent Advisory Council) I'm involved although not as much as I should be. They are a wonderful resource to our town and today they allowed others in to a theatre on a Sunday morning to watch as a family. For some special ed. children, they are not used to going to such places as it's often very overwhelming for them (sensory wise and other reasons) For my two boys, they were thrilled to go but I know their attention lasts as long as it takes for Youngest to inhale a container of popcorn. Nonetheless, we went. I figured it would be a great way to get them used to sitting through a movie and I knew if they were unruly, edgy, whiny...well, it wouldn't really matter because I was amongst a group who got all that--and who understood even more.
As you all know, Oldest is "labeled" as having "global developmental delays". There were some families who have many different challenges than I have. They face their autistic children, their specially challenged children, whatever they may be...with patience and strength and more patience...and much more strength. I remind myself how I often lose my cool with Oldest because I'm frustrated each day with the challenges he faces, the challenges we face as a family...today, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the progress he has made and continues to make and I'm reminded that the grass isn't always greener. I'm reminded that every family has their own sets of challenges and each challenge is different in their own way. And each Mother, and Father, and siblings...they show a lot of strength day in and day out. I applaud you all.
I'm also reminded today about how fragile life is. I'm a reader of blog from a woman I came across online. She had PPROM at around the same gestational age I did and also lost one of her twin children. Her daughter is almost 3 and also faces delays and eating challenges. She lives in California yet I follow her blog because..I get it. The other day she posted a link to a blog SHE came across called http://remembermaddie.com/. This Mom has blogged from the beginning of her pregnancy, her daughter's NICU time and her days with her over the past two years. I didn't read the whole blog but apparently her daughter has had health issues and suddenly she passed away. At the age of two. I cried as I read the entries. I cried because I know the loss of a child but more so because my heart ached for this Mother and Father..these people who I do not know..who just lost their only child. One day they were hugging and playing and the next day this Mom was doing the eulogy at her daughter's funeral. That loss..I do not know. The loss of your child who you actually got to know....I hope to never know this loss but Maddie...this little girl, my heart aches for your entire family.
As Dear Husband and I prepare for the March of Dimes walk in a few weeks I will think of little Maddie, our infant son Zachary, and all of the other lives that were taken far too soon. I will squeeze my sons a little harder that day, as I do every year on "walk" day, because I know, how lucky I am to have them in my life.
So, challenges, no challenges...
Today, I'm so grateful.
We took the boys this morning to a special movie showing of Madagascar. It was at 930AM sponsored by our local SEPAC. (SEPAC is a Special Ed Parent Advisory Council) I'm involved although not as much as I should be. They are a wonderful resource to our town and today they allowed others in to a theatre on a Sunday morning to watch as a family. For some special ed. children, they are not used to going to such places as it's often very overwhelming for them (sensory wise and other reasons) For my two boys, they were thrilled to go but I know their attention lasts as long as it takes for Youngest to inhale a container of popcorn. Nonetheless, we went. I figured it would be a great way to get them used to sitting through a movie and I knew if they were unruly, edgy, whiny...well, it wouldn't really matter because I was amongst a group who got all that--and who understood even more.
As you all know, Oldest is "labeled" as having "global developmental delays". There were some families who have many different challenges than I have. They face their autistic children, their specially challenged children, whatever they may be...with patience and strength and more patience...and much more strength. I remind myself how I often lose my cool with Oldest because I'm frustrated each day with the challenges he faces, the challenges we face as a family...today, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the progress he has made and continues to make and I'm reminded that the grass isn't always greener. I'm reminded that every family has their own sets of challenges and each challenge is different in their own way. And each Mother, and Father, and siblings...they show a lot of strength day in and day out. I applaud you all.
I'm also reminded today about how fragile life is. I'm a reader of blog from a woman I came across online. She had PPROM at around the same gestational age I did and also lost one of her twin children. Her daughter is almost 3 and also faces delays and eating challenges. She lives in California yet I follow her blog because..I get it. The other day she posted a link to a blog SHE came across called http://remembermaddie.com/. This Mom has blogged from the beginning of her pregnancy, her daughter's NICU time and her days with her over the past two years. I didn't read the whole blog but apparently her daughter has had health issues and suddenly she passed away. At the age of two. I cried as I read the entries. I cried because I know the loss of a child but more so because my heart ached for this Mother and Father..these people who I do not know..who just lost their only child. One day they were hugging and playing and the next day this Mom was doing the eulogy at her daughter's funeral. That loss..I do not know. The loss of your child who you actually got to know....I hope to never know this loss but Maddie...this little girl, my heart aches for your entire family.
As Dear Husband and I prepare for the March of Dimes walk in a few weeks I will think of little Maddie, our infant son Zachary, and all of the other lives that were taken far too soon. I will squeeze my sons a little harder that day, as I do every year on "walk" day, because I know, how lucky I am to have them in my life.
So, challenges, no challenges...
Today, I'm so grateful.
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