Elias gets frustrated if I walk ahead of him on our way to school in the morning. Its ok if Olive does, she can skip or puddle splash in front, but if I dare to stride past his canes he speeds up and starts repeating my name till I slow down. I can walk next to him, but he prefers me behind.
Following Elias. As always.
When we break trail through the woods up at David's property in Seward, I often grow tired of dawdling behind my son, eager to forge my own path over the fallen trees and through the Devil's Club. When I take the lead he always asks, "Mom, can I go in front of you?"
And well, when you have a child on the autism spectrum, who can meltdown when his world is not as he expects it to be, you pick your battles. So I walk behind my son.
This past weekend we took Friday off from school and drove down on Thursday night. The only problem with this plan was that I wasn't able to follow up with a student who had a hard time on Thursday. One of those kids who I often wish I could take home and show him what love looks like, what peace sounds like, what safety feels like...
He was on my mind as we ventured through the woods on Friday morning.
"Look Mom, a mushroom," Olive points to the ground.
The boy from school, who I carried with me, has been teaching me about mushrooms ever since he shared that his happiest memory was searching for them with his Dad. I told him I wanted to learn more about them so I knew which ones we could harvest. So he brings his Alaska mushroom book to school and often shows me a picture or two at recess.
I pull out my phone and tell Olive: "I'm taking a picture of it."
"There's more over there!" She says, and so my mushroom documentation begins.
I text a couple pictures to our school nurse with a request to check on our student, and suddenly, the slow pace in the back of my family pack feels perfect, as I scan my surroundings for signs of shrooms.
Its amazing what kids can teach us if we stay open to the possibilities.
Go slow.
Take time to notice our surroundings.
Get down on our knees.
Look up.
This morning when I met with the boy in my office and we compared my photos with those in his book, he said: "Seeing your mushroom pictures makes me feel happy."
"Well, it made me feel happy to take him," I told him. "And I owe that to you."
Beautiful as always!!
Posted by: Mom and Dad | 10/15/2015 at 05:27 AM
what an amazing way to connect with that boy. Now he knows that you thought about him when you didn't even have your "counselor hat" on. He is lucky to have you. They all are.
Posted by: fleming ackermann | 10/15/2015 at 04:45 PM
Thank you Fleming! The nurse did say it made him feel good that I was thinking about him even when I wasnt at school. If only the kids knew how many of them I carry in my heart. Hugs!
Love you Mom & Dad!
Posted by: Christy | 10/17/2015 at 12:34 PM