I once heard a celebrity being interviewed and she spoke lovingly about her daughter. It is interesting to me that I cannot even remember who the celebrity was, because I have often reflected on that interview. Each night as she tucked her daughter into bed, this mother would inquire about something that had happened to the little girl that day. Invariably, the daughter would comment on something simple, something that Mom had seen, too, but not noticed. In this example, the girl had spent time watching a butterfly as they ran errands. How often in life, do we see a beautiful butterfly but do not take the time to really appreciate it?
Almost every day I ask my older son, Andrew, to name his favorite thing about the day. We always take a minute either at the dinner table or before bedtime to discuss what made the day good. Unfortunately for my younger son, David, this question would be impossible for him to answer. He gets great enjoyment out of each day and finds plenty to delight in, but as a child diagnosed with autism, he is not able to convey his thoughts to me--at least not verbally.
Many, many weeks or even months after David was diagnosed with autism, after I had progressed through the stages of grief, I began to regain my sense of humor. (Don’t ask my husband, though, he would probably say he is still waiting.) Anyway, David is a happy, engaging, cuddly and sometimes extremely quirky kid. Each day, no matter how busy or frustrating, I can find a reason to chuckle if I slow down long enough to let it happen. I have come to think of these as my butterfly moments.
Laugh or cry, I always say and I choose to laugh…most of the time.
