30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 12: Veterans
To all veterans—a huge thank you. Your service goes beyond protecting your country and its citizens.
Ray and I watched a documentary on the Korean War and I realized that was the war my grandfather served in. Which made him part of the reason I was even able to meet my husband, who was born in South Korea.
It made me pause—really pause— and reflect on just how much I owe to you all. You may never know the full effects of your bravery and selflessness.
Who are you honoring in your heart this weekend for their service?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 13: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
I am a self-diagnosed logophile–a lover of words–so when words are twisted and used inappropriately, it really upsets me. When the word “freedom” is hijacked by organizations that are taking away freedom? It feels like someone is wringing my heart dry.
So when words that reflect my faith—”Christianity” and “Christian”— are seen as synonymous with people and organizations who hurt, judge, seek to control, and hate others, I get pretty upset.
I am far from perfect, but I take my faith seriously. Especially the part where we should not be judging (even judgemental people!) but looking at ourselves and getting ourselves in line.
Essentially being the change we want to see.
So I strive to understand the Bible, know what I believe, and make sure that I am accurately reflecting God’s love.
This book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero, helps me do this. As I read the Bible and this book together, it keeps me accountable and my theology on point. It has uprooted poor teachings I have collected over the years from some well-meaning people and replaced it with healthy practices and healthy spirituality. One that does not inflict pain, judgment, or try to control people, but one that simply points people to Jesus and his unconditional love.
It reminds me that regardless of what people believe, they are all of equal value and equally loved by God. Every person therefore deserves respect and love.
What book has been life-changing for you or has helped you be the person you want to be?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 14: Garage Doors
It may seem like a strange thing to be thankful for, but my son loves garages, so I love garages.
On our “left, right, straight” drives he is the sole navigator and it often becomes a garage door tour. They fascinate him, especially the ones with unique features—colored black or red, windows down the right side instead of the top, or the whole garage being one big window.
At one point, for several months, he took us to one particular house. “Windows upside down!” he would yell and then laugh uncontrollably. And upon close inspection, we saw that he was right—it was subtle, but they had indeed been installed upside down.
We brought him to Home Depot to participate in the monthly craft activity. But all he wanted to do was look at garage doors. We brought a brochure home and he cut out the garage pictures and taped them to his various house creations.
Which was a LOT cheaper than buying him the garages he found online for thousands of dollars thinking they were toys.
What is something unexpected that makes you or a family member happy?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 15: Big Blue Swim School
We took a break from Big Blue because lessons could not compete with the town pool and Caleb was refusing to attend.
But recently, my son has started wearing a bathing suit, rash guard, and goggles at bath time. He would float face down in the filled up tub, then come up for air saying, “Swim down! Big Blue Swim School! Tori! (His swim teacher)”.
So clearly it was time to sign him up for swim lessons again. And it was just as I remembered it.
The people who work at this facility are wonderful.
The staff lights up with smiles as soon as Caleb walks through the door. He has them under his spell. They give him paper, pens, and tape so he can write his “Coming Soon! Dunkin Donuts!” sign and tape it to the window. And their reaction is priceless—far from being annoyed by this kid who is literally and figuratively coloring outside the lines, they encourage him, saying, “Oh, I wish there was a Dunkin Donuts coming soon!”
And when they see him waiting in a long line getting a little wiggly, one person will inevitably come over, bend down to his level to say hi, and take his hand to personally walk him to his swimming lane.
His teacher is always genuinely excited to see him and somehow provides that perfect blend of structure and flexibility. Sometimes I look up from what I am reading to see Caleb wrapping his arms around her and touching her face, or giggling and doing the opposite of what she asks just to be silly—and it doesn’t even phase her. She laughs along with him and then somehow gets him to swim across the pool using a stroke other than the doggie paddle.
And when we left tonight, someone stopped us on the way out saying she was so excited Caleb came back.
I am truly thankful for everyone at Big Blue for being so accomodating, welcoming, and making it such a positive experience for me and my son.
Think about your routine, people who provide you with a service on a regular basis. Who are you thankful for? Is there anyone who goes out of their way to help you or someone you care about?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 16: My Kid Told Me About His Day!!!!!!!
A whole new world opened up when I learned that my son does not acquire language analytically, but through gestalts.
I have always understood him, but now I can better explain his speech to others and am better at helping him acquire new language.
So every day I try to encourage him to use his language to recall his day at school. And every day he has responded with silence, by pointing to or remarking about something in our immediate surroundings, or sharing something he wanted to do next.
Until yesterday.
I asked him how his day was and he said “Morning meeting, snacktime, good boy!” with his two little thumbs pointing skyward.
I cannot describe how ecstatic I was to hear his words. I had been at a point where I felt like this goal was moving further away, not closer.
Every parent I share this struggle with says they have the same problem with their neurotypical kids telling them about their day.
So pretty much every parent understands why I am jumping for joy right now.
And I can tell you all—if your kid clams up, keep at it! Persistence pays off. You never know when they will be ready to open up.
What goal have you or a loved one reached that you are thankful for?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 17: Encouraging People
Yesterday I received a quick note from the occupational therapist at school. She was just writing to say my son had an amazing week and she was so proud of him.
Often what you hear from school is what needs to be fixed.
And I have to say that is how my brain works. Space is always available to process what isn’t working so I can make it better.
But I need to work hard to make sure I also stop to celebrate the wins. Because that is the fuel that helps us to fix what needs to be fixed. Which is actually why I am doing this 30 days of thankfulness to begin with.
I am finding the more you practice accentuating the positive, the more positive you see, and the more positivity you are filled with, and the more positivity you can give away.
So I am grateful for this reminder from the OT to stop and appreciate, in her words, the “awesome moments.”
You are a person fully equipped to go out and spread goodness in the world. Even a few positive words from you can make someone’s day.
Who can you reach out to today with a word of encouragement?
30 Days of Thankfulness
Day 18: Mysteries and Great Minds
The mind is still a mystery…one of the great frontiers of exploration. One of my favorite aspects of being a teacher was figuring out how to reach and teach kids who all thought and processed information in unique ways.
So it makes sense that I am even more fascinated by my son’s mind and have moments where I wish I could take just a tiny peek.
One day, under a mysterious set of circumstances, I found my Bethany Church notebook with a hole cut out of the cover.
I immediately suspected Caleb, but had no evidence or motive.
Then I found this display he created. Upon closer inspection, I found the missing piece of my notebook taped to the outside of the building.
Then all the pieces came together.
He had created his own Bethany Church.
He organized a congregation…quite a diverse one…from various poseable toy figures.
He arranged them to face the stage where a praise band was set up– another group of characters with instruments in their hands and one vocalist with a microphone to the far right.
He also included a little Sunday School classroom in the middle.
My son doesn’t say much about attending church, but the ideas in his brain sometimes spill out into his play.
I think this is why we supply him with every type of building material. It is a form of expression for him. It’s sometimes the only way we know the level to which he is aware of and processing his surroundings.
Thankful for these little mysteries and the discovery of just how amazing my son’s mind is.
Who do you appreciate for their unique abilities or way of thinking?