Splendid Mayhem: She Loves Me :)

Welcome To Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Friday, February 22, 2008

She Loves Me :)

Melissa announced she can't stand cotton balls. They give her the 'he-be-ge-be's". So, I got a bright idea- when I mailed her "Plain Truth" I decided I would stuff the envelope with cotton balls as well. Don't tell me something creeps you out.... bad idea! LOL

I got an email from her this morning.... Titled "YOU STINK"

"O.K.., so yesterday I go out to get the mail & see a large envelope hanging out of the mailbox...I get all excited cause I LOVE getting mail. So, I grab it & see that it's from my friend, Jess & I think to myself...YAY!!! The book she promised!!
I run inside & tear open the envelope & without looking, reach in to pull the book out.....AAAAHHHH!! I scream & throw the envelope on the floor & scare the CRAP out of my kids!! I go & get the scissors so I can cut the envelope open.....out falls countless COTTON BALLS!!!" .... she also informed me that she'd get me back when I least expect it!

Here's what it looked like when I packaged it. BTW Melissa- I knew I was going to blog about this... just had to wait until you got the package :)

4 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 23, 2008 at 1:16 AM
Hardy-har-har!! I have to admit, Jess...that was a good one!!! Just remember what I said......WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT :)
ReplyDelete
Replies
DawnFebruary 23, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Ha! That is too funny.

Melissa - Remember revenge is a dish best served up cold. ;)
ReplyDelete
Replies
Trish ~CnJ's Mommy~February 23, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Oh she's going to get you for this one! It's funny, laugh out loud funny...but she'll get even...
ReplyDelete
Replies
KieraFebruary 26, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Thanks for the laugh! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!
ReplyDelete
Replies