Sticks and Stones....

May Break my Bones...

but Words will Never Hurt Me.

I am not so sure that's true.

I was standing right next to a typical teacher (not a Special Day Class teacher) that said the following phrase on a field trip I was attending to help with Maggie...

"Oh (sigh), I forgot we had the Special Ed kids with us."

She was probably completely unaware of how a few simple words can hurt...
Big deal, not really?

Did it hurt my heart to hear this phrase- yes it did!

Not only because I was there to help my child, but also because I was feeling sensitive to the other child that was there from Maggie's special day class.

What if his mom had been standing there... what if she was feeling down that day... what if the teacher could have said intead,
"Oh, I forgot we had the kids from Room 19." ???

Simple, yes!
Challenging, yes!
Important... to me, yes!

I never wanted Maggie to be labled, "Special Ed"... but it's our reality. Is she in a Special Ed class? Yes. But what I desire for her is that she feels loved for who she is, not for the label put upon her. I love her for who she is, and I also know that I, as a former teacher, would have NEVER referred to a student as "Special Ed" I would have given them the label that all kids get... their teacher's name or class room number.

This might sound petty to some of you out there... but I can't help how my heart dropped for a second upon hearing what this teacher had to say.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....
Be mindful of what you are saying, you never know who is listening.

Just my thoughts for today.

A New School Year....

Maggie is in the K-3 SDC (Special Day Class) and it was a very peaceful drop off this morning. Her classroom has a small number of students, a teacher, 2 morning aides and 2 afternoon aides. Eventually she will be able to participate in a regular 1st Grade classroom environment, but she has some skills to master first and this is the best place for her. She is so tender-hearted that I pray for her protection. I pray that God will surround her with intentional people... those who love their job and will make it a priority to love, care for, and help protect her in any way possible. I pray that she will find frienships that she can relate to, or at least enjoy going ot school. I pray that Maggie's "own time schedule" for developing will soon catch up to that of her peers... I so want her to be able to do the activities she desires to do... and I pray that she will, above all, continue to shine the light that is from God's love alone!

I think she was born to shine His love

This Little Light of Mine....

This little one breaks my heart, if I am being honest.

She is beautiful and sweet and totally full of spunk! She survived a year of Kindergarten in a typical classroom with very limited help, except for her AMAZING Kindergarten teacher-love! Her teacher busted her buns to help Maggie not just survive this year but even thrive!

This little one came into Kinder knowing only a handful of her letters and sounds... and she is leaving Kinder knowing all of her letters and sounds. She can consistently read 15 sight words and she knows her numbers up to 11. She can write her name and letters. She can draw faces and tell a story with her drawing.

Even though she has done so many wonderful things this year, she will be entering First Grade next year under the umbrella of SDC (Special Day Class). She will get more therapy on her fine motor skills and academic learning. She will join the first grade class whenever is appropriate!

Congratulations my little Kinder Graduate!
!!!I am so incredibly proud of you!!!
Love,
Mommy

Running the Race...

Maggie is running the race of her life.

She is doing all that she can, to her best ability...
and my BIGGEST prayer is that she will know her Lord and Savior
so that one day her race will be worth the pain.

I dream of her seeing Jesus face to face and hearing the words,
"Well done, Good and Faithful Servant!"

There is no greater reward...
no greater award...
and no greater reason for running the race.

Keep running Maggie... Run to Jesus!

It Still Hurts...

Every day it hurts a little bit, and I am just being honest.

You are making such amazing progress in life...
and I don't want to lose focus on that fact!

You are Maggie... God's wonderful creation!
You have a purpose for His Kingdom.

I know you are wonderfully and fearfully made.
But it's the day to day life that can be hard... and that's what still hurts.

Your Kindergarten report card shows "N's" all over the place. Even though YOU have made wonderful and even amazing progress, you still have the "N's" in your life.

You "N"eed improvement to be typical.

But you aren't typical.
You are behind.
Even though you've made such wonderful progress
you are still very far behind typical.

I type this through tears of feeling tired and uncertain.
I know that you are amazing!
Your life was known even before you took your first breath
and you bless others, just by being you!

I love you, Maggie... more than I can even understand.
There is no question about that.
But walking this journey in life as your mother
is a lonely process... no one really understands,
and that's the part that still hurts.