I am a woman richly blessed with two beautiful children, though much of my writing here focuses on the needs and circumstances that have arisen from only one of them. Hannah’s participation here has always been at her discretion- she can contribute what she would like or not, as she feels inclined. Regardless of what
Andy actually wasn’t the first person in our family to develop symptoms, nor was he the source of our exposure- though he was the only one to be PCR tested because of his job. Two days after I got my new piercings, our sweet Hannah had brief unmasked contact with her boyfriend…who developed symptoms the
To be the mother of a child with profound disabilities is in many cases to wobble precariously along a thin ledge comprised of a great many sacrifices while trying not to completely loose yourself, yet feeling as if some days are still spent in free fall, searching for the person you could have been or
To Nicole These unsettling pandemic years have changed so many things, including when we were able to meet. Nearly a year you were a case manager for our son before we were able to finally work together in person, and yet you still always called to check in with us and make sure we were
A couple of weekends ago, on our last public therapy trip with Emily as Tony’s hab therapist, he laughed, smiled, and flapped as we walked towards the door of our local Fry’s. When we first started our public therapy programs, I never would have expected to see him looking happy in that context. The best
Hannah and I put up the outside Christmas lights by ourselves this year, and so Tony needed to accompany us up front. Historically, any sort of outside task required multiple (you should read that as every couple of minutes at least) sprints chasing Tony down as he laughingly ran out of our yard. But when
I had just fled my parents’ bedroom when I heard the click, and then my mother scream– “He’s got a gun, run!” My mother’s fourth (and current) husband, had flown into a rage, flinging and destroying items (a boombox became the first casualty) because I wouldn’t say I loved him when he asked if I
For nearly a year now, I have been bobbing up and down on the waves of life, trying not to get swamped or washed overboard as I navigated managing my health and maintaining the active role I must play in all of Tony’s therapy programs that transpire outside of our house. These programs are essential
To Emily, For Everything Unwritten Oh my beautiful friend, a treasured member of the family of my heart, some might wonder what more I could possibly add to the notes I’ve already written you here. Yet you and I both know there is always so much more behind every post and every memory I’ve shared.
For me, there are times when I want a certain type of punctuation mark heralding the finality of a chapter in my life, and, in the ciphers of my heart, sometimes only a poem can suffice. In choosing to share this particular poem, I make no claims that it is the best I have written,
