If you don't walk as most people do, Some people walk away from you, But I won't! I won't!
If you don't talk as most people do, Some people talk and laugh at you, But I won't! I won't!
I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you. That's how I'll show my love for you.
Jesus walked away from none. He gave his love to everyone. So I will! I will!
I was going through our children's songbook from church when I came across this song. I guess it can sound kind of silly, but this song has new meaning to me now. I love the exclamations in the song. My life has a lot of exclamation points in it so I am a fan.
My boys finished their last day of school on Friday. It was a sad day because Spencer has had the most spectacular year in third grade. His teachers were so fantastic and really helped him grow in ways we couldn't have imagined at the beginning of the year.
One of the best moments came for me last week. Spencer has talked about a girl in his class all year that he says is his best friend. I was never quite sure what that meant, but I was glad he had someone to call a friend. When I was at school for the Author's Tea on Tuesday I met his friend's Mom. She seemed to be as anxious to meet me as I her. She was so excited to meet the Mom of her daughter's good friend. She expressed how much her daughter loved Spencer and hoped they would be together in class next year. She told me how much she enjoyed watching him read his story and thought about what an amazing man he is going to become. I kind of stood in awe. I wasn't sure how much she knew about Spencer, but it was obvious she had spent time in the classroom getting to know him at some point. Nice things were said about how well behaved he is and how smart he is. And then it became very clear that she and her daughter had no idea why Spencer needed an aid in the classroom. She asked if it was because of his eye. I didn't know what to say. She didn't seem to know about his autism. I was debating what to say and then Spencer came up and she looked right at him and told him how grateful she was for his friendship with her daughter. That he had been the best friend to her this year and they were so glad he was in her class. Spencer beamed so big and I just looked at her with all the gratitude in my heart. And I realized that she knew enough, and she just gets it.
We have been wanting Spencer to feel more comfortable riding his bike. He has not had enough practice to feel comfortable yet, and it has been a bit of a battle for him even to try it. We decided to give it one last push this summer and hope it will catch on. Today a little miracle happened. He just went outside on his own and started riding. And then the neighbor kids from across the street came out and started riding with him. And then his brother joined him. And there they were the four kids riding around together. And my little angel neighbors who just knew that Spencer needed some buddies to ride with right at that moment. And probably no words were exchanged, but they just rode out there with him. Spencer came in and was so excited to tell us how he rode with his friends and brother.
Spencer's book that he wrote and illustrated was about friendship. About two dinosaurs
Rexy and Cooper that decide to go on a picnic. And a dinosaur they didn't know shows up and they decide to share their picnic with him. Then they all go swimming together. That was what his story was about. Reaching out to another friend. It was beautiful and very telling.
Spencer was spotlighted the last week of school along with a couple of other kids. One of the questions on the sheet was, what do you want to do someday. Spencer immediately answered, go over to a friends house to play. That is what he wants to do some day. Perfect.
Lets face it. We are living fake lives during the school year. We go to the grocery store with one, maybe two kids. We might even go to a doctor appointment and sit in the waiting room leisurely reading magazines like that is our real life. Sitting around reading magazines. And then summer hits. Reality check. I am dragging four kids everywhere with me. And people are stopping me, are those all yours? Doctors are surprised to realize I have this many kids. Where did they come from? Have you always had this many kids? There are people in my life that have no idea how many kids I have. And they are shocked. Because I guess I had them fooled. But summer comes and there ain't no more foolin'. This is me. This is my real life. Kids everywhere. Toys everywhere. Doors always left open. Shoes everywhere. Snacks. More snacks. Sticky floors. Bikes on the front lawn. Did I mention they need snacks? Mismatched clothes. Garage doors left open all night. Broken screen doors. Bugs. Oh, and you can push a cart with four children on it. But, you block traffic and you get stinky looks. So then you make them follow you in a line. And then you really get looks. Me, pushing my baby boy with three boys following me in a line. But then I look back and the three boys are on the floor wrestling. This is my summer life.
