Poignant Mother's Day message

[Guest guest]

I received this from another support group. Although it's quite long, I didn't want to cut any of it out. Ramblin' Rose

Thoughts of a MomMany of you, I have never met face to face but I've searched you outevery day. I've looked for you on the Internet, on playgrounds and ingrocery stores. I've become an expert at identifying you. You are well worn. You are stronger than you ever wanted or wished to be. Your words ring experience. Experiences you can recall with your very heart andsoul. You are compassionate beyond the expectations of this world.

You are my "sisters".Yes, you and I, my friend, are "sisters" in a sorority. A very elite sorority.

We are special. Just like any other sorority, we were CHOSEN tobe members. Some of us were invited to join immediately, some not formonths or even years. Some of us even tried to refuse membership to no avail. We were initiated in neurologist's offices, NICU units, obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms and even during ultrasounds.

We were initiated with just a somber telephone call, a consultation, routine blood tests, x-rays or during heart surgeries.

All of us have one thing in common. There was one day things were fine. We were pregnant, had just given birth or even playing with ourtoddlers. Yes, for one minute everything was fine. Then, whether it happenedin an instant, as it often does, or over the course of a few weeks ormonths, our entire lives changed. Something wasn't quite right. Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs. We are united,

us sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.

Some of our children undergo chemo. Some need respirators and ventilators.

Some are unable to talk or walk. Some eat through a feeding tube.

Some live in a different world. We do not discriminate against those

mothers who have children that are not as "special" as our own child.

We have mutual respect and empathy for all of the women who walk in our shoes.

We are knowledgeable. We have educated ourselves with whatevermaterials we could find. We know "THE" specialists in the field. We know the best neurologists in the field. We know the Children's Hospital

phone number by heart. We all know the wonder drugs and the best treatments. We know all of the secondary tests by heart and hold our breath while our children are tested for them. Without formal education, we could become Board Certified in Neurology, Endocrinology and Psychiatry.

We have taken on our insurance companies and school boards to get what our children need to survive and flourish. We have prevailed upon

the State to include augmentative communication devices in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with Autism, CerebralPalsy and Down Syndrome. We have labored to prove to insurance companies

the medical necessity in treatments; we have sued municipalities to have our

children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.

We have learned to deal with the rest of the world, even if that means walking away from it. We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets

during "tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us in line. We have tolerated insane suggestions and

home remedies from well-meaning strangers. We have tolerated mothers

of children without special needs complaining about chicken pox and

ear infections. We have learned that many of our nearest and dearest

friends can't understand what it is ike to be in our "sorority" and don't

even want to try. We ave our own personal copies of Pearl Kingsley's

"A Trip to Holland" and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother". We keep

them by our bedside and read and re-read them during our toughest hours.We have coped with the holidays. We have found ways to get ourphysically handicapped children to the neighbor's front door on Halloweenand we have found ways to help our deaf children say "Trick or Treat".We have accepted that our children with sensory issues will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas. We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving and we have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter. All the while, wehave tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.

We have gotten up every morning since our journey began and wonderedhow we would make it through another day and gone to bed every night not quite sure how we did it. We have mourned the fact that we never

got to relax and sip red wine in Italy. We have mourned the fact that our

trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined

when we first visited the travel agent. We have mourned because we left

for the airport without most of the things we needed most for the trip.

But at last sisters, we keep the faith always. We never stop believing.Our love for our special children and our belief in all they will achieve in life

knows no bounds. We dream of our kids scoring touchdowns, extra points

and hitting home runs. We visualize them running sprints andmarathons. We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees. We hear their angelic voices singing ChristmasCarols. We see their palettes smeared with watercolors and their fingersflying over ivory keys in a concert hall. We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes. We never, ever stop believing in all they willaccomplish as they pass through this world.

So in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do is hold tight to their little hands and together, we special mothers with ourspecial children, REACH FOR THE STARS...Many wishes for a blessed and peaceful Mother's Day!From an unknown online source More photos, more messages, more storage—get 2GB with Windows Live Hotmail.