“’Oh no, please don’t let that car tumble over the bridge!’ I said. The older gentleman looked my way. ‘Let’s break a window,’ he said. He searched his vehicle to find something with no luck. I looked around and now saw a huge semi slow and pull over on this tiny shoulder too. A SEMI! As I drove away, I knew I had made a difference that day.”
“He broke down crying. ‘You don’t understand. I prayed God would send someone to buy me a hot meal today…and he sent you!’ I was speechless. He lifted up his shirt and pointed to a huge mass poking out from his stomach. He didn’t have much time left.”
“’They won’t give you a diagnosis. You’re wasting your time.’ My heart sank. Two children with special needs? I barely made it to my car before I burst into tears.”
“All the other firsts eclipse as you hear that sweet word. And you know, without a doubt, he knows exactly what it means.”
“I heard a knock, and I knew it was Rich. My beloved. Bringer of dreams. Rich gave me his million dollar smile then the color drained from his face. I shut the door, go to the mirror to check out the damage. There were two dark dots staring at him.”
“The news was on when two pairs of small feet walked into the room. A lanky 10-year-old and pint-sized 6-year-old boys. They caught a glipse of George Floyd. The image of a police officer with his knee on a Black man’s neck, squeezing the life out of him.”
“I had pain no one could identify with no hope of healing. A crawling on my hands and knees kind of pain. I felt forgotten.”
“There are many things I struggle with in regards to living with a terminal illness. Even if I did just a 5k one day, I could knock it off my list and enjoy the experience. Well, I sat on that goal for too long, and it never came to be. Fast forward to today: I came the closest I will to meeting that goal.”
“We began to see glimpses of the life we thought may be ahead for our boys. But then, something clicked. We learned about the magic of autism.”
“I told my friend all about Emmanuel’s amazing qualities and pulled out my phone to show a photo of him. To my dismay she said, ‘Is he poor? Does he live in a mud hut?’ I was completely taken aback. It never crossed my mind others would not be as accepting as I was. Not long after, I left and never returned.”
