Ropes in the Trenches

“You’ll miss this, one day,” says the grocery store clerk as she looks in my eyes with compassion and seriousness. “He’s been very hard lately,” I reply as I look into her eyes, and then at Brady as he makes his loud stimming sounds. “MOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEE,” he squeals with a smile…

1 Comment

Thirteen

Middle school. A gigantic new environment – outside the boundaries of our school pyramid - so that he will get the support he needs to learn. Alarm sounding at 6am, getting dressed and out of the house to sit on a bus for 50 minutes. “Mr. Bonkin (bus driver) lets…

1 Comment

In Times of Uncertainty

In times of uncertainty, life becomes like a 1,000-piece puzzle where sections I had carefully placed together suddenly jump out of place in a rippling fashion, causing other parts to dismantle. For reasons beyond my control, they cannot be simply put back together. What began as a dramatic change in…

Comments Off on In Times of Uncertainty

Inside the Brain of a Creative Child

I hear him whisper-talking to himself as I pause by his bedroom door.  It’s a couple of hours before school time and although I can’t see him, I know exactly what he’s doing as I listen intently to the soft sounds emanating from his room. “Yes, that’s okay.  The We4…

2 Comments

Halloween and Understanding Emotions

Brady was a fireman in 2017; after that Halloween, he became creative with his costume designs. “What are you going to be for Halloween this year, Brady?” his psychiatrist asks at the very end of his appointment on a mid-October day.He doesn’t answer.  He’s squatted on the floor creating a…

6 Comments