I finally saved enough dust bunnies to make good on my 2009 Declaration. See for yourself. Already used one to clean my face. I named one of them Brynne – because that was supposed to be the name of the girl we never had.
Feels so good to be green.
In Love…
Today, January 6, we celebrate the day Sean asked me to marry him. Down on one knee, he faced a long pause with silence as I finally said…I’m scared. Then the color left his face and drained to his toes. We’ll always remember that day for reasons that include me ending up making a decision that would be akin to winning a high stakes poker game every day of my life.
This what he brought me. (I took the bite)
In Warmth…
At the beginning of the year I was asked to teach a group of 7-year old children in our church. One of these energetic children is a charming girl with autism. I’ll call her Paige - the name we were going to give the other girl that we never had. On my first Sunday with this new class, we sat together as a large group for a lesson and singing time. Many times she got up and bolted over to the teacher she had the year before. I finally coaxed her to sit on my lap for the rest of the time.
As we broke into classes, I threw out my planned lesson and told the kids to sit on the floor with me. Then we told stories about choosing the right. Paige bounced between sitting under the table and climbing all over the stacked chairs. This lasted for most of the class time. At the end, I gave them all something to color, and I began gathering up my things. Paige turned around, looked right at me and asked, “What’s your name?"
Taken back I replied, “Mrs. Whiffen”. She was quiet for a minute, but continued looking at me. “I like you, Mrs. Whiffen.”
And there it was. I looked at her, she looked at me, and I was dialed in. And if you’ve ever connected with a child with autism, even if it’s a brush with time, the feeling is like lounging on a fluffy cloud somewhere in heaven.
7 comments:
That is an awesome story! There is a little boy with autism that has speech therapy on a regular basis and always has to walk the hall and say high to Bo and the other doctors before he gets started! Bo and the other guys go out of their way to say hello and give him a high five, etc.!!!
A few comments...
First, I don't have an exact date, but it was about now that John asked me to marry him too....His memory of it is - that I didn't answer him, I just kissed him. I don't remember.
Second, Brynne and Paige, both great names. I'll have to ponder them. Since, you won't be using them, right? I doubt Brynne will happen. We have a Brynlee down the street that goes by Bryn. But Paige...hmmm. We'll let you know.
Third,
It is like Heaven.
Britt - Someone already stole Brynne (I crossed her off our Christmas list), but you have my permission to use Paige. Or, you could always name her Billy, so she knows that it was during this pregnancy you worked your hiney off on this autism insurance bill. It has some flair to it, don't you think?
I just got chills reading this. What an amazing story. I just love reading your blog. :-)
the cotton balls crack me up!
You're awesome and an inspiration to me. I don't like writing--it doesn't come natural to me, but I'm always telling my oldest, Kaitlyn, about you. I say--I know a girl who wrote a book--she sat by me in English class and copied off my papers! J/K Hope you are surviving the legislation stuff--I know you are busy--I'd love to see what bills you are trying to pass--is there a specific website?
Hey Melissa, thanks for the big warm fuzzy. And thanks for being so smart! I didn't get that "A" for nothing :) I appreciate your genuine concern. I'll be posting soon about the bill. It has been nicknamed Clay's Law. It will be assigned a number soon. We've also had a professional video made that will be uploaded to YouTube for all legislators to see so they can become educated on the importance of this bill to so many families. I'll blog about it soon!
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