I wish you could have seen the way she helped set the table up when we arrived at the pavilion. You wouldn’t believe the way she didn’t have the iPad the entire afternoon. Would you believe me if I told you she played on the playground and waited her turn for the slide? I wish you could have seen how excited she was to see Pappa and Mr. V. You would have been so proud of her speaking on the microphone and walking two miles at a steady pace.
I wish you would have seen her friends and their families that walked with her today. You could tell she was overwhelmed. But she held it together. When I glanced over at her. I didn’t see Autism. I saw a beautiful thirteen year old girl having the time of her life. I wish you could have seen how she gave her friend Brenna a hug. I couldn’t record all of these moments because it was emotional. It was powerful and it was a blessing.
As I fought back tears and thought about four years ago. The sight of a bouncy house would have been a trigger for a day of disaster. Today the sand castle that she built was standing tall. Until another boy stepped on it. I was waiting for the diva with her tiara and tutu, to go after him. But she didn’t. She just looked at him and began to rebuild. You should have been there to see that.
I wish you were there to see the young lady that she has become. I wish you were there to see all of the people that love our family and support autism awareness. The memories shared today will forever remain in our hearts. I wish you were there to witness it for yourself. But this blog will have to be enough for now.
Maybe next year. You’ll see for yourself. Autism isn’t a death sentence. It’s a love story.
A Woman's Work - Brooke Basically Blogging 