Tooting the Horn

I am naturally inclined to use sarcasm and humor to defuse situations that are not at all funny. Sometimes that's a healthy thing, but during this journey I've found that those tendencies predispose one to becoming cynical. So often it has been people who have broken my heart, frustrated me to tears, and made me question whether they could get a 2-for-1 deal in Oz, so that they could find a heart and a brain! While I regret the areas of callous in my spirit, these challenges have also made the great people shine brilliantly in comparison.

I mentioned one, Susan, in my last update. But, I must toot the Horn of Appreciation in honor of her again. I received an amazing letter from her, as a follow up to our meeting. She took what could've been an administrative, dry, "check-the-block" correspondence, and turned it into a keepsake blessing. She started out, " Thank you for allowing me to visit with you and Abbie yesterday. She is a remarkable person, just like her mom." (OK, so flattery certainly doesn't hurt!) But, then she continued, "Your update on Abbie's progress was very exciting" and went on to detail standards that Abbie currently meets. She ended the letter with, "Finally, I want to acknowledge that the love and support you put into Abbie's ongoing recovery is remarkable. Enjoy the little packages of success she delivers. While they may not arrive often, they are certainly a delight to receive and enjoy with the entire family." Wow. This woman should be giving workshops to professionals on how to build relationships with families!!

Today we were visited by the school speech therapist. She is new this year, so had never met Abbie. I could not have asked for better timing! Abbie was just waking from a 2 hour post-Maria nap when Janelle arrived. I gave Abbie her switch, and she was off to the races. Over and over what I heard was, "She has so much potential!!" Janelle has worked with children who use communication devices, so we had a very fruitful conversation about how we can use them to support Abbie's academic progress. I am so encouraged to have team members who I feel can really contribute to moving Abbie to the next level!

Later in the car I was thinking, "We knew it. We KNEW it. We knew it all along!! We knew Abbie had this potential." I was grinning, laughing and giving myself mental high fives. Then I stopped. "Awwww, come on..be honest, " I told myself. "We didn't KNOW anything. What we did was listen. We listened when God reassured us in the darkest hours that all would be well. We trusted when He reminded us He had a plan. And even these things were not of us, but were gifts of amazing grace. So, I'm still giving high fives about all this business, but it's with hands raised to Heaven, to give the credit where it's due.

Tomorrow's the IEP meeting, and Friday we'll meet with the neurologist about the baclofen pump, and with Abbie's case manager, so it's a busy "Abbie Week". I am hoping that I will be tooting the horn many more times! God Bless!!