Category: Uncategorized
-
Autism. A Pug. A long goodbye.
I wanted a dog my entire life. Granted I knew nothing about how to care for one, the cost, walks in the cold, snow, rain, emergency appointments when grape or raisin was scooped off the floor but it didn’t matter. The thought of having one was a dream. Autism and dogs was an enticing match.…
-
The Other Side of Hard
There are always things to write. Sometimes I find myself putting something together and letting it rest. The problem is that for the last two months I’ve been fighting to stay locked in. That’s what 5 kids, a tumor to a beloved figure, 19 students wrapping up a school year, a senior pug who keeps…
-
“I’m lonely.”
The days of the cute kindergartener vanished. The little boy who had the bow tie and suspenders beamed but picture has now faded and though it’s still cute, it has been put on the shelf and is a distant memory. We tend to hold onto the past as we knew the day would come. The…
-
Fall 7 Times. Stand Up 8.
Winter in New England is unpredictable. It could be 70 degrees one day and snow a foot a day after. The early part of 2022 has fit that bill as I have recently turned 45 years old and have morphed into my most cynical version of myself. The days of taking one’s word as an…
-
Next stop, 11.
When Sawyer was born, the world had begun a slight shift. I didn’t have to make a call to let loved ones know, I could send a picture via a text, email a group, and post a picture 20 mins after his arrival. Looking back, I had zero wherewithal of enjoying the moment but rather…
-
Minuscule no longer…
The longer we raise a child on the spectrum, the more I have come to realize that the unexpected needs to be celebrated even if it’s minuscule. it’s the unexpected that keeps us going when the clouds cover the sky regardless of the season. Speaking of seasons, we have turned the page on the holidays…
-
Breakdown and Breakthrough
Imagine searching for clothes in a pile. Imagine hearing a bus pull up to a driveway. Imagine a backpack with folders and books. For a typical 5th grader, you would guess that there isn’t much to think of? For Sawyer Rubin, it is the absolute opposite. A big focus in our household are life skills.…
-
Covid Chaos
If life was a Choose Your Adventure book, I’d ask for a copy that left out Covid-19. Unfortunately, after two years, after every precaution, vaccinations, social distancing, and leap of faith, Covid hit our household with a right uppercut that despite our efforts, we couldn’t slip past it. To put things in context, our family…
-
Stand and Deliver
Remember when you were young? Remember the days that the clock just wouldn’t move? Remember the dates on the calendar that just would be crossed off with that bold X in Sharpie? Ok, I may still cross out a date with a Sharpie. I digress. Regardless, imagine being this all over the place day by…
-
Don’t Call It A Comeback
I sat at the screen two years ago and felt like a screenwriter who kept pushing the same idea. Boy has Autism. Boy is loved. Boy succeeds. There is only so many times you can write the same script before it’s time to move on. So I did. I felt like in the world of…