eSpecially Ben

We were robbed yesterday. I came home at 1:30 pm and as I walked to the back door, I saw one of the French doors wide open. Let me stop there - for those who know our family, it is not unusual for a door to be wide open with no one at home. My first thought was that my husband came home for lunch and used that door for some reason. But then I saw the glass and got back in my car quickly. I have yelled out loud too many times in the movies as the ominous music plays in the background and the disposable character walks into the dark house with a blood trail leading up to it. I was not that fool. I drove to the front, called Ryan and then the police. At the same time, our new neighbor came out. After I told him what I saw, he said he had seen someone running from our yard at about noon. He had a fairly good description of him. When we finally entered the house, it was a shock for me to see our stuff thrown around. In some rooms, it was like what you see in a movie with dumped drawers

Let me tell you first that this video is 21 minutes long. And it does not get all that interesting until 6 minutes into it. With that said, it is worth listening to, even if you listen while you do other work. The pictures in the presentation are not as important as the story. At the center of the story is a boy named Kenny who has several severe special needs. With the support of his parents, teachers and other people, he is able to find himself working at a chicken farm in NYC. The presenter goes on to tell stories about other people who have found their special place in this world. Thank you to Cousin Angela for sharing this with me.

At my last trip to the public library, I found a DVD of children's stories being read aloud. A story we just read,  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers  was featured. Having been only four years old when Phillipe Petit made his daring walk between the Twin Towers, I was not familiar with the story. After reading the book, our whole family was intrigued by this stunt. I snatched up the DVD and surprised the kids with it. We ended up watching this particular  DVD  at least two times. There are three other stories after The Man Who Walked Between the Towers . There are several reasons why I liked this DVD. As the narrator read the story, the words were highlighted on the screen. The camera panned over the illustrated pictures throughout the book. There were no added caricatures or moving parts. The focus was on the words and pictures and not on added frills and thrills. At some point, I realized Ben was still hanging with us. Usually, our family movie nights are interrupted by

Ben's Fish About two months ago, Sean sold his train table and used the money to purchase fish and equipment for a tank that was given to us. With some encouragement, he graciously let each family member choose something to add to the tank. All was going well until we got overzealous with cleaning the tank and altered the balance of good bacteria, causing the fish to get ich  (pronounced ick), a fish illness, caused by a change in the environment. Similar to Oscar Wilde's statement about art imitating life, this was clearly an example of the aquarium imitating life. Ben's fish, named John, was the sole survivor of our fish fiasco. Not unlike Ben, John handled the changes in the tank without stress or white spots. And if you are wondering if we flush our fish, we do not. We may be the first family with a fish cemetery. Each were buried in a pudding box with the site marked by a stone. Ryan oversaw these services and closed with a prayer. Sean chose a new fish to j

The Pirate, Professor Charles Xavier and  Raphael of TMNT say Happy Halloween!

Ryan has had an impact on our family. He is the son of one of Ben's former teachers and has Down syndrome. Our families have become friends, doing things together and looking forward to one another's company. If I did not have their friendship, I would be in the dark about Down syndrome. When a petition about  National Down Syndrome Awareness Month  was brought to my attention last week, I did not hesitate to add it here. Please take a minute to look it over and see if it is something you want to support by digitally signing the petition. Feel free to share with others through email, Facebook or on your own blog. The people behind this are working hard to get the word out, and as we have all learned, social media is the way to do it. "Dr. Kinder is mother to 8 year old Ella, who has Down syndrome. For the past 8 years Dr. Kinder has been on a mission to change the way Down syndrome is viewed and how the medical community responds to it. Right now we have a

I probably have already featured the Miracle League one too many times for any reader's liking, but here I am doing it again. Remember at the end of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" when the narrator says, " the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes..."   That is what it feels like at these games, my heart grows. It is hard to explain, unless you witness it yourself. There is an overwhelming feeling of love, gentleness and caring at these games. Call me hokey...but do so behind my back and after you have attended a few games and don't feel it yourself. This week, it started with an early call from a friend whose son is also on one of the teams. She was calling to say that the photographer was fabulous. The professional photographs for team and individual photos were scheduled for this day. At the field, I witnessed those moments that individually are important, but together, in a short one-hour time frame, they make my heart swell. They are...