Skip to main content

Happy Mothers Day



I didn't write this note, but I understand it well.  It's Mother’s day and I am sitting in bed holding the hand of my sweet first born daughter Jessica.  She is 22 years old and has autism.  It was not the trip I had planned for myself.  But Jessica’s life has had a very good effect on my life.  I'm a much better person because of her. I’m a better person because of all my kids.   I'm grateful to be a Mom. There are many wonderful roles in life.  Being a Mom has got to one the greatest jobs. Happy Mother's day! 


Welcome to Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this…

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Written by Emily Perl Kingsley


 
Jessica and I in Oregon, USA
Jessica in Thailand
 
Jessica and Juergen in Israel



Jessica in Nanjing China


Jessica in Holland
Jessica in Italy

Comments

Rick Moreno said…
Well said, thank you for your words...Also, Happy belated Mother's Day. I've been away from a computer for a while, so I couldn't wish you a happy Mother's day until today. So, have another blessed Mother's Day!
4:38 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

chicken coop idea

Why not start with an IBC and cut a hole for the door? You could build closed laying boxes into it, and something for the chickens to roost on. Put some straw or saw dust on the floor. You could add vents to the side for air. If it sat inside a chicken run that you can walk into, the chickens could be safe, dry and happy. I have an extra IBC. Maybe this could be my chicken house? I bet I could even plant the outside of it with mud and grass for extra insulation and good looks.
4 comments
Read more

Reading Kingdom

I am very happy to review the Reading Kingdom.   This is an online program that uses a variety of methods to teach reading.   I decided to share this product with my adopted granddaughter Ruth.   Reading kingdom uses a six skills integrative method Ruth only just began to use the program. She is only 3 years old and cannot use the program without help.   But her mom says that she can already recognize words like girl and kids when they are shown on the screen.   Sylvia wrote that she loves the repetition of the words in the program .   That Ruth is memorizing the words she sees.     She will be able to use it for an entire year.   But I expect her to become a very good reader.   And what a great gift to give to any child!   She will have a lifetime love for books.     Sylvia also works with teenage mothers in Uganda.   And many of these women have never attended school.   So she plans to use these ideas to help these young women learn to read. http://www.ReadingKingdom.com what
Post a Comment
Read more

Taking at look at Hotels select

I have the chance to review Hotels select.   https://www.hotelsetc.com/ This is a really interesting travel club.   You pay a fee of about 200 dollars a year to use their very extensive site.   I got this membership free.   It has many deals of mostly hotels, but also rental cars, flights, restaurants and events around the world.   I have been spending days looking at what they offer.   So far what I’ve found is amazing deals on the places many people go.   For example, hotels in Orlando are 50% less than deals you find at booking.com.   Rental cars are often 25% cheaper than Rental cars.com.   And they have a search where you can book a condo for as little as 250 dollars a week just 1 mile from Disney world.   That is 7 nights for 250 dollars for up to 4 people.   The exact location on Airbnb cost 650 dollars a week. If you travel to places like San Diego, New York City and Las Vegas this site will save you a great deal of money.   If you rent cars you will also find it wo
Post a Comment
Read more