Splendid Mayhem: Silly Hubby, Your Wife Is Addicted....

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.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Silly Hubby, Your Wife Is Addicted....

Ok, so last night I was at the computer checking out blogs. Adam was sitting on the couch with 2 little monkeys climbing all over him. It'd been about 10 minutes before I start hearing this-
Honey, Why don't you come in here for some family time? (Me: Baby!) Do you love your internet friends more than us? (Me: Baby!) Would you rather talk to them then us? (Me: Baby!) Family time! We need you pronto! (Me: Baby!) You do! You love you online people more than you love your own family. I see how you are. Fine. Stay in there. We don't want you in here. (Me: Baby!)
At this point, I think... hmm... guess I *should* turn off the computer and go hang out with my boys for a bit. I was cracking up thinking I cannot wait to blog this one. Do you get what a smart butt I really am? I gave him nothing more than a "baby!" which is what I usually call him. He doesn't get called by his name unless I'm really mad at him, which isn't that often. So, to my internet friends- my hubby thinks I love you more than my family :P You should feel VERY special today!!

4 comments:

AnonymousApril 1, 2008 at 10:23 AM
HA!! Sounds like my hubby!!
P.S...Thanks for adding me to your prayer list!! :) I'm doing a little better today....I'm SOOO PMS'ing & I think it's adding to all of my stress!!!You're the best!
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* ~ *Jessica* ~ *April 1, 2008 at 6:02 PM
Melissa- You are welcome. I'm working on emailing you back. If it's not soon enough- you've got my phone number. Feel free to call me!
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KieraApril 1, 2008 at 8:01 PM
That is great! It sounds like a conversation in our house -- although it alternates between the two of us since my hubby is addicted to World of Warcraft
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* ~ *Jessica* ~ *April 1, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Kiera- it does go both ways in our house to. Adam is addicted to PS2.
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