April has been designated as Autism Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity for all of us to become a little better educated on the subject and to open our minds and hearts to the extraordinary challenges of that population and their families and caregivers. What follows is an essay our niece wrote as she was heading to college four years ago. In it she shares some of her personal experiences of growing up with an autistic sister and describes how it…
In the midst of these overwhelmingly chaotic days, I recently found a new reason to be hopeful. It came not from any prominent leader but rather from the actions of a four-year-old boy. His efforts were extraordinary and tender. And, they were the result of the guidance offered by his amazing parents and the wonderful teachers who are nurturing him and his preschool classmates. The story below is in his mother’s words. While getting ready for bed one evening in…
We’re going to a party Friday evening! Our 24-year-old niece Lily will be moving into her new home soon, so the family is gathering there for a housewarming. Our pastor is coming to bless the house, and we plan to celebrate with food and music. Although it might not seem like a big deal to some, it’s actually quite huge. Who could have seen this day coming? Is Lily excited about the move? If she is, she doesn’t let on. Is…
Brilliant sunshine. Blue skies adorned with a few wispy clouds. A carpet of green grass. Mild temperature typical of a late spring afternoon. The day appeared perfect in every way, and for that they were all so grateful. They spread the quilt beneath the backyard shade tree and invited her to join them there. She moved among them for a while, welcoming their tender pets. Then she moved to the grass where she sat and eventually lay on the grass…
(Told by Rick. Written by Nancy.) I thought I knew my mother-in-law. I really thought I did. To me she seemed as perfect as any human could be. She always appeared so loving and pure. Then one day something happened to change all that. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the shock I felt when I discovered there was a whole other side of this woman. It was the moment I realized I’d never truly known her and what she was capable…
The door opened and the weary-looking woman made her way into the periodontists’ waiting room. She appeared to be in her 40s or 50s and not at all a picture of good health. Wearing a walking cast on one leg, her steps were short and choppy. The bra strap on her left arm lay about halfway to her elbow and appeared as nonfunctional as the dangling arm itself. She stepped up to the receptionist’s window and gave her last name….
I’ve been avoiding the “E” word lately. Empty. As in empty nest. My nest isn’t vacant, but I can see the day when it will be. Well, if I let myself look. Which I don’t. Often. With one son in college and one in high school – each thriving in his own way – I find myself in a new stage. A stage with time, it seems, for me. I suspect the next few years will include a fair amount…
We were supposed to be at the restaurant at 6:30, my husband and I. So, we felt pretty good that we’d made a three-hour drive and were arriving a few minutes early. We were happy to be celebrating our friend John’s milestone birthday but weren’t sure what to expect. It was our first time at the swanky hotel’s restaurant, The Tenderloin Room. We didn’t know the guest list, and as it turned out, we only knew a few of the…
“Did you hear that?” my husband asked. There was a ruckus going on inside our fireplace. Apparently, some critter had made its way into the chimney. How could that happen? It was summer and the flue was closed. Plus, wasn’t there was supposed to be something around the top of the chimney to keep animals out? It was far too high on the roof for us to check, but we’d always trusted that things in that area were as they should be. What could…
Aging with dignity. I used to think it was a necessary and even admirable goal. As best I could, when I was with my elderly parents, I tried to help them maintain a sense of normalcy, of “appropriateness.” Especially when we were in public. I wanted the people we encountered to view them as they’d been in their prime. I think all of us kids tried to support them in that way. In their later years, a lot of their filters…