Dear Fledgling:
You should know:
I love you.
You make me smile.
You make me sing.
You challenge how I see the world.
You challenge how I participate in the world.
You make me cry, scream, cower. You make laugh, dance, and
question. You are the bain of my existence and the reason for every breath I
take.
You break my heart.
The world is a challenge for you. Eye-to-eye contact affects
you in a way I can’t understand, depression tears at your sense of well-being
in a way I can’t fully realize and anxiety closes you off from experiences that
would make another child shine.
You break my heart.
The world is a challenge for you. Abstract thinking makes you
light up, new information sends you racing for Google for more, and a good book
has you passionately and intensely lost to the world.
You, fledgling, are a conglomeration of learning disabilities and profound intelligence, mood swings and laughing fits, anger and love.
How is it, beautiful being, that you survive me in my
bumbling attempts to bring you through a dark tunnel.
How is it, beautiful
being, that I survive you and your desperate attempts to get lost in your
tunnel.
Fledgling, I hope, in your life, you come to realize what I
already know is true: Exceptional is not just a pretty word used by
professionals to describe something that is a challenge. Exceptional is
EXCEPTIONAL. It’s seeing colour where there is none, as you so often do.
Exceptional is an inability to make eye contact but an ability to hear and see
in a way that most of us will never be able to hear and see. Exceptional is an intellectual capacity that
will take you to the world of abstract thinking that is so lacking in most of
us.
Exceptional is you, my love.
I love you.
You are a challenge my girl, a challenge that I could never
live without
Never doubt it.
With gratitude for your life,
Mama Red Bird
PS If your sister thinks she got off the hook by not being
included in this letter, she should think twice!
Beautiful post, Red Bird. Eloquently said. You know that I share your feelings towards Fledgling in much the same way. We don`t often enough express these things to our children and I applaud you for it. Of course, her reaction will be a simple nod or smile, at least externally. :)
ReplyDeleteHeart warming. Understood. Felt. Shared. Loved.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing sweet Mumma. Hope you shared or will share with your wee birdie.
Kelly, I shared, but she doesn't take to open affection well. She doesn't want to talk about it but I know...a mamma knows...she got it <3
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