Making a Difference

he⋅ro  /heer-oh/ –noun, plural -roes; a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities.

Since adopting Ashley, Jessica and Corey, I have met many heroes:

• The birthmother who turned and walked away, giving Ashley a chance at the life she deserved


• The judge who gave me custody of Corey though I had no home study, no background check, and no one other than Corey's relatives to say I would be a good mother for him


• The therapist who helped me realize that the only way I could make things better for Jessica was to turn over her day-to-day care to professionals


• The teachers along the way who have refused to waiver, even under the pointed stares of supervisors


• The doctors who believed Ashley could not only live, but flourish


• The friends who believe in me and my choices when most people think I've lost my mind


• The attorneys who fought for Ashley's rights as if she were their child


• The due process hearing officer who looked me in my eyes after the hearing and told me 'Good luck'


• and the social workers who didn't laugh when I said I was ready to adopt again

Our children draw out the hero hidden in many people. Who are the heroes in your child's life?

Go Car

We had snow this weekend – 13 inches of it! This was the second heavy snow in two months for an area that often goes years between even dustings of snow. It was absolutely beautiful, and we loved watching it come down in big fluffy flakes. But, after about a day and a half, Ashley was ready to ‘go car’.

Although it often surprises me given her deafblindness, Ashley is a very social person who just isn’t happy unless she is out in the world as often as possible. After a long week at school, she can relax and lie around the house for a while on the weekend. But the lure of riding in the car, strolling around the mall, visiting the Science Museum, or shopping at Target is just too strong. She must ‘go car’!

Thanks to the efforts of her brothers who shoveled the driveway, we were able to go for a ride Sunday afternoon. The primary roads we ok, but the secondary roads, especially in our neighborhood were still snow-covered. She didn’t mind. The fishtailing of the car and the bumps over snow piles had her giggling and signing ‘more’.

Though she doesn’t like being in the snow herself – she will stand perfectly still and complain loudly – she really does like riding in the car in the snow. Maybe it’s the same reason she loves roller coasters.

She's my darling little daredevil!! So how do you keep your children with disabilities occupied during snow storms?