Welcome to Holland: HORTON SAVES CHRISTMAS!

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.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

HORTON SAVES CHRISTMAS!

Mitch’s Christmas play was last night. It is always a crowd pleaser! They received a standing ovation and that was so amazing to see these sweet kids up there on the stage while everyone was clapping and cheering them on! I know I say this all the time but, I love this school! They really care about these kids. They don’t see the disability, they see the ABILITY. They get to cheer these kids on everyday and that is exactly what they do. I was also incredibly grateful for the members of the student council at Springville High School. They did an excellent job with the kids. They sacrifice a lot during the whole preparation for the play and they did it with smiles on their faces and I love them for it! Imagine a bunch of high school students doing all of this and being HAPPY to do it?!? They give up their lunch hour to practice with the kids at Oakridge! They got up on the stage and gave it their all. I hope this has an impact on them because I know it has an impact on the kids at Oakridge and their families. Thank you so much to the students who truly gave of themselves last night.

Mitch played the part of Vlad the Vulture, and I have to say, the part was completely perfect for him! Vlad was a little ornery and Mitch put his best ornery face on while he pushed the switch button that said his part. ha-ha! Kind of like this face….

We are so proud of our sweet little Mitch

Linz and the girls are always there to support us!

Haley too… We appreciate it so much!

Look at little Roo! He was OUT half way thru the play!

This is Mitch’s communication intervener, Jolyn. She is amazing with Mitch and he loves her!

We have such wonderful friends that are so supportive. Haley used to be Mitch’s intervener and now she is a very good friend of the family. She comes to all that she can and she is the only one I’ll leave Mitch with when we are in a pinch. It is so wonderful to see how many people Mitch has touched.