A local farm, turned county park, offered a special event featuring the Civil War. Volunteers dressed as military personnel, farmers, craftsman, acted out battles and answered questions. It was family friendly and the kids were welcomed to try out each experience. Ben was content at watching everything going on around us. Logan and Sean were mesmerized with the machine that removed corn kernels, and they literally spent most of their time getting the heads of corn from the shed and then either by hand or machine taking off the kernels. For some reason, unknown to me, this was an exciting activity for them. Ben and I visited the cows nearby. A boy of about 10 or 12 came up to us and offered to help Ben feed the cows. The photos you see are of Ben and this boy. Notice how the boy gently uses a hand-over-hand approach to help Ben feed the cows. The boy suggested that Ben may like to get the kernels off himself using the machine. This kid was so kind and thoughtful, I agreed.
These stories describe our journey with Ben, our oldest son. Ben is a sweet and energetic redhead, born with Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic mutation. My husband, Ryan, and I try to keep up with Ben and his two younger brothers. I intend to shed insight into raising a child with disabilities and pass on the wisdom we’ve earned over the past two decades.