Finding inspiration at home and at work

Today brought a birthday visit from my friend and her kids.  The plan was for Sarah to learn to make chicken, broccoli, and ziti from scratch.  Mission accomplished, with the added bonus of having uber-cool nails applied.  It touches my heart to know someone cared enough about my daughter to spend an afternoon doing something fun with her for her birthday, just because.

The coolest part of the day besides hanging out with my friend and seeing Sarah so happy was hanging out with Ryan.  His mom has given permission for me to write he is a very special client, one whose case in many ways defined my career and work.  In six months, he has started talking more, following directions, and his tantrums have lessened in intensity.  He started crying when it was time to go home, I talked him down and we made a deal that he would come back to play soon.  The tears stopped and he got over "it" and walked to the car peacefully.  When kids with autism get the right services, they can fly.  And, while the work has just begun, he is flying.  That is amazing to witness.

S's words

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S’s Story: Who I most admire

January 13, 2012, written by S.- Grade 4

“Chirp, chirp, chirp”, the birds sang.  “What a lovely day”, I thought, as I walked around Horn Pond with my mom.  My mom said,  “I love spending time with you.”  “Me too”, I replied.

My mom’s job is very important.  She is a special education advocate.  This means she helps kids gets special services from their schools.  I admire her because she will work for free sometimes.  She works for free so people with not much money can still have special services for their kid or kids.

After my mom’s done with her work, she is very generous to me and my siblings, J, A, and E.  She brings us to concerts, gets us pets, buys us toys and books, and helps us with projects.   She is also generous with her time and helps anyone who needs it.  If I told you everything she did that was generous I would end up writing up writing a book that is 300,000 pages long.  I have about 900,000 million memories of her being generous and nice.

She’s also very caring.  She gives my siblings and I plenty of food and a nice, big house, nice clothes, and so on. She makes me feel better when I am hurt.  She loves me a lot and that’s why she is very caring.

If I wanted to, I could write a book about my mom.  Now you know all about how caring and generous she is and how much I admire my mom.  My mom is great.  That’s why I chose her to write this story about.

The End

1/14/12

Grace happens

This morning, when it was still pitch black outside, I walked to the back porch, fleece on, and took in what the week had been, and mentally prepared myself for what was going to be a challenging day.  Breathing in the cold, fresh air, I stood, alone, and enjoyed watching the beginnings of the sunrise. 

The morning seemed, in advance, a mountain to scale, not knowing how high we would climb, or if we would need to descent before reaching the peak.  In any high stakes meeting where people are counting on me, I do feel the weight of the world on my shoulders.  I knew we had the right evidence and that I had produced high-quality documents.  Without resolution, today could have lead to a not very fun week after Thanksgiving for many people.

The meeting was painful only in the sense that some of the people there did not want to be there and seemed so uncomfortable.  But, folks needed to hear me out, and did so respectfully.  Afterwards, we needed to hear them, and did so respectfully.

In a moment of grace, it became clear we were both looking for the same thing.

It makes me happy to know a student will have a chance to heal and learn;  I was able to play a small role in making that happen and that is a great "paycheck", the  thank you from a grateful mom.

Sitting here in the calm, feeling confident, I am chatting with my son who randomly gives me kisses on the top of my head, enjoying some leisurely discussion with my daughter, and even snuggling up with the cat.  Tomorrow, I'm taking a day off from work and going to do something nice for myself.   A hike sounds like just what the doctor ordered, or maybe just a walk around Horn Pond.  Later, my teenager can meet a potential new friend and bond over social justice issues and a love of animals and all things not mainstream.

I am so very grateful for my friends, my children, and my village.  Furthermore, I am grateful that I get to do work I love and *maybe* change kids' lives along the way.