A word that is a necessity in my life..When Faith was first diagnosed with CP (and other junk) it was like a punch in the stomach that wouldn't stop. It felt like things would never get better like life had just stopped for our new family. A feeling in the pit of my stomach, every day that....was awful.
I hear a lot of parents with special kids who are younger struggle with the frustration, acceptance, change, disaster and heartache. I just want to reach out and tell each and every one of those parents that it will get better.
For me, time and faith have been big healers.
When you are in the throws of a diagnosis with a young baby or child it can seem like there is no joy left in life.
I have found that the best medicine for me, is daily J-O-Y. I have to find something each day to give me joy about Faith. Be that a toy that she can turn on or that she stands in her stander for an extra 10 minutes or she tries to say a new word. Some days it's watching her riding a horse, carefree and thrilled. Other days it's finding out that she was really watching me while I dusted the playroom and seeing her, with her own little rag that she found, dusting the floor! This child brings all kinds of joys, to me, every day, in silly things she does or just looking at pictures of her. I also believe that JOY is contagious and overflows into your child. If there was one thing I would want Faith to remember about me is that she saw me joyous, every day, at least once!
I urge each of you to try to find a small joy, each day, in your child and dwell on that. It has helped me immensely to heal and to get thru each day. Yesterday, I found joy in watching her climbing stair (up and down) with assistance at therapy, on land (for the first time). I also found joy in hearing her meet a goal in speech therapy...10 consonant sounds with minimal cueing! Tomorrow, give it a try and see if you feel a little better. I would love to hear about your experiences with finding joy in your child's life! Hopefully, we can spread some joy around to each other!
