Dolls and Peonies.

Stella recently turned one. No longer a baby; now a toddler. She received a beautiful doll from a dear friend. I love how the picture turned out with the fresh pink peonies in the background.

Today I'm grateful for my toddler, dolls, birthdays, spring and pink peonies cut from my yard.

Daughters

by Mark Jarmen

May they never be lonely at parties
Or wait for mail from people they haven't written
Or still in middle age ask God for favors
Or forbid their children things they were never forbidden.

May hatred be like a habit they never developed
And can't see the point of, like gambling or heavy drinking.
If they forget themselves, may it be in music
Or the kind of prayer that makes a garden of thinking.

May they enter the coming century
Like swans under a bridge into enchantment
And take with them enough of this century
To assure their grandchildren it really happened.

May they find a place to love, without nostalgia
For some place else that they can never go back to.
And may they find themselves, as we have found them,
Complete at each stage of their lives, each part they add to.

May they be themselves, long after we've stopped watching.
May they return from every kind of suffering
(Except the last, which doesn't bear repeating)
And be themselves again, both blessed and blessing.

Jack Kerouac

"But then they danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" - Jack Kerouac

Today, I'm thankful for brilliant minds and amazing quotes.

Daffodils.

Chase picked these for me. The first ones to come up in our front yard. The only unfortunate part is that he let himself out the front door to pick them. Yes, alone, in the front yard. But he came right back and exclaimed, holding the flowers behind his back, "Mommmmieeeeeee, I have a surprise for you!"

Today, I'm grateful for the first daffodils of the year and that Chase picked them. Just for me.

Balloons.

Balloons used to make me cringe. It seemed as if they were everywhere. At the park. The grocery store. Outside stores. In restaurants. And these seemingly innocent helium ovals resulted in Lucas throwing a magnificent tantrum.

He still has quite the affinity for balloons but they don't make him go to the floor, screaming as though his hand had been cut off.

Today, I'm thankful balloons don't rule my life.

Once Broken.

I purchased this ballerina statue at a ridiculously low price ($10 - 20?) because one of her hands was broken off. I molded a hand out of baking clay and super glued it on. It's not as good as new but I still love it. I love vintage, love giving new life to old things, love putting things where they don't belong.

Today, I'm grateful for creativity in making what's broken better, for thinking outside the decorating box, for the joy I find in it all.

My Voice: Published

Editorial to be published in the Tennessean (http://www.tennessean.com) next week:

I stand strongly against the rezoning of Franklin Special School District. Our son, Lucas Breeding, age 5, has a diagnosis of Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, autism spectrum disorder and apraxia of speech.

He attends the Communication and Social Instruction (CSI) class at Poplar Grove Elementary. The community needs to be aware of this program that exists in our area. For some reason, it seems to be a secret to many. This is something we should celebrate as a part of our community.

The communication and social instruction classroom, offered from pre-k until the 8th grade, has dramatically and positively changed Lucas's and our family's life. One of the many benefits to this program is that Poplar Grove elementary offers a balanced calendar. Children with intellectual disabilities can experience severe regression during long breaks which is what the traditional calendar offers. It can take months to recoup the skills lost during a traditional summer break.

If this rezoning is about social agenda, I have one I'd like to share with you. Part of my personal story is about social justice for those with disabilities. The unfortunate thing is these are members of our community who often aren’t able to advocate for themselves, in fact, some cannot communicate at all.

When Lucas started the Poplar Grove CSI class, he was three years old. He could not walk, talk, feed himself, play appropriately, or make eye contact. He tantrumed and would not follow directions. It was debilitating to us as a family.

Today, Lucas is doing many of these things. This progress has been amazing to watch. We are a part of a study at the University of Louisville for children with Williams syndrome. Each year Lucas has two days of intensive testing followed by a meeting with Dr. Carolyn Mervis, cognitive expert in Williams syndrome and director of the study. When she met Lucas, age of two, she considered him to be on the severe end of Williams syndrome. Devastating to hear. A month ago, when we went for testing, Dr. Mervis emphatically stated that he was no longer in the severe range and has progressed to mild.

We believe much of this progress is because of his team at the Poplar Grove CSI preschool class, a balanced calendar and the commitment from the teachers, therapists and administration. A move from “severe” to “mild” is tremendous.

Poplar Grove has spent 11 years working on their program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as other disabilities. ASD is very specific disorder, hindering communication and social interaction and is growing at an alarming rate. It calls for the specialized instruction and the balanced calendar that PGS provides.

What is the plan for the children that don't have a voice? Are we going to trade one minority for the other in the name of equality?

Nekkid Ice Cream.

Full of excitement to finish his ice cream after bath, Chase couldn't bother with clothes. Something to admire and try to reflect in our own lives.

Today I'm thankful for the happiness small things can bring to small humans. And eating ice cream with no clothes. Not that I've ever tried it.

Goodbye, my friend.

We said goodbye to our 17 year old Border Collie yesterday.  It was much more difficult than I had anticipated.  What a faithful friend she has been to us.  


Today, I am immensely thankful for the 17 years with had with her.  


"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." - Roger Caras

Sleep.

Today I'm grateful for beautiful, sweet, sleeping children.