Welcome to Holland: San Diego, Nov 2010

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.

Monday, November 15, 2010

San Diego, Nov 2010

We met my parents there for a few days and had the best time. Its been a while since we've seen them and I forget how much fun they are! I was rolling on the ground with laughter most of the time and the other time was probably spent at Bates Nut Farm. We just can't get enough of that place. Will and Dad, on the other hand, had a heaping list of "honey do's" for my mom. She bought some things for the house and had them busy, busy, busy! They also helped out at the golf tournament for Hal and he didn't say it, but I think Will was wishing he had taken his golf clubs and golfed in the tourny instead. Maybe next year:) Fun was had by all! We love it there. Time was flying by and before we knew it we were headed our seperate ways, mom and dad went back to the vineyard and we were headed back to... snow:(

The boys couldn't get enough of hiking the trails around the house. Grandpa might be sorry he showed them cause he sure got his exercise keeping up with Mad and Maj! Can you spot 'em?

Here they come...

The boys feeding the ducks at Bates...

Maj fell asleep while Grandma was reading "Skippy Jon Jones", their fav book:)

1 comment:

BeckNovember 15, 2010 at 3:18 PM
Ok I have now resorted to beg!!! I sersiously want to go to Cali with you next time. What a blast!!! And dont you think your family needs to meet me. Im sure they would want to :) LOL I just miss you Courtney. I really do go through withdrawls without you in my life on a regular basis FO REAL!
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