22,000 games in 84 years

I remember the year I first saw the Harlem Globetrotters. They came to my high school with their antics, Curly and Meadowlark Lemon, and Sweet Georgia Brown blaring to fill all space in our high school/community gym. I laughed for two hours. I saw them for the second time yesterday. This time they came with Slingshot, Bingo and Special K and, of course, Sweet Georgia Brown blaring. I laughed for two hours at familiar antics and new routines. Phil, especially, loved it and showed it with his typical enthusiasm. And I could tell Clark liked it. Notice the slightly pleasant look on his face? It was a great family outing.

Phil with Slingshot and Bingo

The Journey

As I lay in bed this morning slowing waking up my eyes were drawn to a ceramic candle holder that sits atop a radio across from our bed. I thought back ten years ago when we purchased it. We were chaperoning a group of teenage girls who were on a singing tour (our youngest was a part of that talented group). In one of the cities there was a young man standing by a stone wall with his candle holders displayed on top. As my husband and I stood there admiring these inexpensive candle holders he had made I looked more closely at the young man and this feeling swept over me. We are fellow travelers on this earth at this moment in time. We are separated by many miles and many years but we have much in common, in fact, more in common than not. Our paths will cross for a few minutes but it is highly unlikely we will ever see one another again. “What are his dreams, his desires, his pains, his disappointments, his joy, his life experiences?” I wondered as I stood there on the side of the street as we were deciding to make a purchase.

I have had those same feelings come over me as I’ve observed my two sons with fragile X. Sometimes when I am sitting on the couch next to Clark I will turn my head and study his profile, this number one son. With a heart pumping blood throughout his body, giving him life, he is much like me. He has dreams and feelings of love, sadness when someone calls him a name, pain when he is hurt, laughter when he is happy, enjoyment in eating the entire apple. Our paths, his and mine, run along together and I feel blessed to be taking this journey together.

Final Day of Bowling

Yesterday was the final day of bowling for Clark and Phil until August when it will start up again.

I am glad they are enthused to go each Saturday morning for almost six months.

I am glad the bowling alley is only 15 minutes away.
I am glad their sister drives them most Saturdays. I used to.
I appreciate all those who volunteer their time to help the bowlers.
I appreciate the bowling alley for providing lanes for special population bowlers, three games for $5. What a deal!

And I love three hours of quiet while they are gone!

The New Look

Emily, a friend of mine, did this--put together a new look for my blog. I remember the day that picture was taken—April 7, 2006. Paul had a Friday off so after working around the house much of the day our family decided to travel 56 miles north of our home to Skagit Valley to the annual tulip festival. It cost less than traveling almost 5,000 miles to the Netherlands. It is an incredible sight to see acres of colors.

This snapshot of the the three of us close together and smiling captures a moment in time. For me it says we like each other, we enjoy being together, we like being silly and going places together. According to my journal one member of the family was grumpy but we don’t see that in this picture. Knowing what the daily landscape of our lives looks like I am sure there was name calling and tattling also on this excursion. Every day is reminders and remembering—reminders to "talk nicely", "be kind", "no name calling", "say you're sorry" and remembering that in some ways Clark and Phil are stuck at six years old.

And in some ways the picture is misleading. Clark is the hugger, the kissy one who tells me he loves me at least twenty times a day. I’ve never counted but I don’t think that is an exaggeration. Phil usually will have none of that but he has other ways of showing his love so I am content and relish the times he does lean into me and put his arm around me for a picture.