JOY and HOPE

This past weekend we were invited by some friends to come for a ride on their new boat...that simple invitation gave me a wonderful gift: A Moment of True Joy. I decided to be a little adventurous which is NOT in my nature. I climbed in their three-seater innertube. Yancey on one side, Nancy Claire on the other and John Brady in the middle with me. And when I allowed myself to enjoy and not to focus on the fear of one of them flying out, I had a chance to tip my head back, feel the water and sun on my face, listen to their laughter and shouts of joy and PRAISE GOD for this moment, such a rare one....all three of my children within arms reach of myself (and each other) and truly enjoying something fun with not an ounce of irritation with one another. It was truly a gift.
And today I was brave enough to venture out with all three to the movie -- it's always a step of bravery -- who knows what might set John Brady off, overstimulate him, or stress him out to the point of running off in a crowd full of people. But I made it into the theater (just by the skin of my teeth mind you) and as we sat watching the previews of all the wonderful movies that are coming out this summer I had a sense of HOPE that I haven't had before. Don't misunderstand, I have always known that things would one day be better, a little easier, more enjoyable --- but today I felt a sense of Hope and Excitement because it feels like that "one day" is almost here. Even if something begins to set him off or overstimulates or stresses him, all of us will be better equipped to help him deal with it, and maybe even offset it before we get to that point. So a family trip to the movies won't seem like the idea of a lunatic....it will be a fun, spontaneous thing to do with each other! And I felt HOPE.....it's just around the corner, I can feel it!