Today, Lexi and I had a lesson in limitless faith. My blessing each morning is to drive Emery
Kate and Lexi to school. First we drop
off Lexi at her school then EK at the primary school. This morning the girls were busy packing to
go spend the weekend with their father.
Even typical children need routines and consistency in their
lives. But the need is greater and
magnified with an atypical child with Autism.
To stay on task I use five minute warnings. This morning was no
different than usual except for the packing which their mother had told them as
she left for work to finish the packing after school. When we were five minutes
from leaving Lexi could not find her extra hair brush and refused to unpack her
good brush. Time was passing and she
became more and more frustrated and began to have a meltdown. Emery Kate whispered in my ear and asked if
Mark could take her to school so she wouldn’t be late. He did and Lexi decided after they left that
she would not go to school.
So I did the only thing I could and called her mother.
Between the two of us, she coaching me what and how to get Lexi calmer, we
convinced her to go to school. Now there
was the chance she would be tardy and that would trigger a whole other
meltdown. Jennifer called her school and explained that we coming but might be
late, mark her tardy if need be, but please don’t tell Lexi. She also talked
with Lexi’s special needs teacher, Mrs. Dent to give her a heads up on Lexi’s
state of mind.
Driving to school we were in a lot of traffic. Behind the school in the carpool line, the
PTO president at Lexi’s school, who works every day tirelessly volunteering at
the elementary school, was in front of me.
She was turning left to drop her youngest off at the Primary
school. Not one person yielded to her
letting her go in front of them. We
waiting car after car as Lexi got more and more anxious. I told her I was sorry
for how things went this morning and that I loved her to the moon and
back. I said I would see her later when
I got back to the school to volunteer and asked her if she was going to
speech. She said not on Fridays, but
that she would find me.
We turned the corner in front of the school, the last car in
line. It was 7:59. And there standing to Dr. McCrary, the
principal, who always greets the children is Mrs. Dent. They wave to Lexi, open the car door for her
and greet her with great smiles. She’s
the last one on time and she is happy.
My heart overflows with gratitude for their response. I call my daughter
and tell her we made it and I can’t stop crying. How does a sweet kind little girl go from
being happy and excited about visiting her dad this weekend to angry and
frustrating in a matter of seconds because of a hair brush? The question is rhetorical as there is no
answer. It just is part of living a life
with Autism.
I can’t see through Lexi’s eyes or begin to understand her
world. I can remember that deep inside
each of us is an inner wisdom and divine essence permeating in and around
us. It is limitless. When I look inside those beautiful eyes I
don’t see the Autism. I see love;
knowing that when I say, “I love you Lexi,” and she responds, “I’ll find you, ”
we are saying the same thing.
~Mimi
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