Kids with Special Needs

I have not posted in months, but have been writing and had to share the latest!

Several weeks ago, I visited my sister, Joan and her family for our traditional Christmas gettogether. While there, we created a site about Developmental Therapy - Developmental Teaching. DT-TP offers so much for teachers and parents who work with, care for, teach, or interact with children with challenging behaviors! I have known the founder, Dr. Mary M. Wood, for forty years and have worked with the program for a number of years, too. Numerous materials, including an online course through the University of Georgia are available. The program is used across the United States, in Canada and Europe. Some translations are available.

For a sneak preview of what DT-TP is all about, please go to:

Kids With Special Needs

Sharing Blessings

Summer in the South! Despite our dire need for rain, gardens have been productive. I have been the recipient of so many garden blessings recently! Volunteers at our hospital have shared delicious figs and oh, such flavorful tomatoes! Real tomatoes-the kind you must make a "mater sammich" with....white bread, Duke's mayo, a bit of salt and pepper and slices of tomato as high as your mouth can handle! Or bacon, lettuce and tomato on toasted white bread! Oh, my...heaven!
Others are the tiny ones, for tossed salad, making a wonderful cucumber/tomato/onion/pepper mix, or just eating like popcorn as a snack! Sooooo good!

Yesterday, my neighbors called and told me one of their friends had given them so much from their garden, and they wanted to share! They know me well enough that my "motto" is to share whatever is shared with me, so when I went over, oh, they filled my car with fresh produce! Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, okra, cantelope, watermelon....all to be enjoyed!

Some went to coworkers at the hospital, some to others in our neighborhood, and some to a friend dealing with crisis. Tomorrow, another friend is coming for a vegatable lunch here. It has been truly a "loaves and fishes" experience. The most fun, however, was to give a cantelope to a stranger in the parking lot of a local drug store! We had laughed at an experience as we walked out the door, and I asked, "Do you like cantelope?"..."Yes," she replied. So I quickly grabbed one out of the back seat of my car and took to her. She was so surprised and tickled at her "bless for the day!"

We talk about gratitude...about being thankful...about our blessings....and we have so many. But there is special joy is being able to share these blessings!

What Comes First?

Today, and yesterday, and the day before....I am struggling with WHAT COMES FIRST! I am a listmaker, and the list is long. Seems it always is. There are routine chores, special surprises, business demands, home maintenance, yard details, gifts to buy, trip plans to make, and on and on and on. Trying to pick and choose becomes the challenge. What comes first?

Oh, yes, I try to prioritize, but sometimes that becomes a problem itself. Then I switch gears from prioritizing to procrastinating. Not a good thing!

Finally, this morning I accomplished. I first chose something that would make someone happy (I hope). It was a simple thank you letter to a long-time city employee (with a copy to the mayor) for excellent assistance. This "chore" didn't take fifteen minutes, but had been on my list for about fifteen days. Ridiculous! Other items were checked off, probably because I started by doing a "thank you" rather than a mundane chore.

So, with that in mind, I am reviewing my list. I need to look at these "to dos" in a different light - from a different direction! Perhaps I will mark each with estimated time to accomplish or maybe I will put a star, or two, or three by the "must dos" for immediate attention. And I will keep in mind a trait I so admire in our department manager. Whenever I go to her with "when you have time, will you.....", she doesn't add it to her list, but DOES it! Right then! In most cases, my requests take only a few minutes while I am there to troubleshoot any concerns, and something that would take twice as long later is accomplished. Done! We are never too old to learn, are we?

The Simple Things

We go too fast! Day in, day out, the time slips away. We do our duties...work, home, volunteer, take children to activities, celebrate holidays, and stay in constant motion.

We go too fast! And in so doing, we often miss the little joys. I recently received an email from a friend:

We have a little Jenny Wren that builds a nest in the wreath on our front door. As soon as I put it up last week - she went to work. The nest is huge and the children love that she comes every year. My son said: "Well, Momma, she was just waiting on you to build her home!" We love that little bird -- ahhhhh, the simple things in life.

Today, I will slow down. I will look for the little things - the simple things in life.

THE DAFFODILS

The bright yellow blotches against a canvas of brown leaves caught my attention when I glanced out my laundry room window. It is only the first of March, but the weather has been warm; early blooming bulbs and shrubs brighten the dull landscape.

Most surprising to me is that these bulbs have been buried in the earth for over thirty-five years! They have never been dug, separated, replanted, and yet, each Spring, beautiful, large daffodils appear in different places in my yard. Rarely do I see them in the same spot. The ones near the stone steps bloomed last year, and those near the big oak burst forth this week. Part of the joy is the wonder of why!

Perhaps deep-digging squirrels have stirred the earth a bit . Or maybe rain and flow of water moved the topsoil. For whatever reason, the loving effort of someone planting the bulbs years ago grabs my attention and puts a smile on my face!

And I think that perhaps within me – within all of us – there are wonderful things buried deeply. I plan to “stir” around and see if I can recapture some. Maybe I will write a note to an old friend, or call a relative I haven’t talked to in a while. Perhaps I will say an extra “I love you” to my sisters and laugh as we reminiscence childhood fun. It is time to bring forth …to Spring!

LIFE'S LITTLE SURPRISES

Ah, it is the little things in life that add so much joy! I never expected Valentine’s Day to be filled with so many surprises!

This morning when I left for work, there was an envelope in the car door handle! It was a sweet Valentine from a neighbor and included a package of candy hearts with words – just like the ones we loved as children! I will read each one! With a smile on my face and a good chuckle, I began the day!

A volunteer walked in with a mini-chocolate cake! Oh, delicious! Another dropped off a white bag tied with red satin twine and inside, a scrumptious box of blueberries (fruit for the heart). There were chocolates everywhere and late this afternoon, my next door neighbor shared hot strawberry muffins! Supper was a friend’s homemade split pea soup! Telephone calls from my children, photos of precious daughters of a special friend, emails, cards filled with hugs and handmade valentines rounded out my day!

Do I feel loved? You better believe it! I am reminded of how important life’s little surprises can be and I am determined to be more thoughtful! Umm, St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner.

EARLY MORNING

The quiet of early morning
when all the world’s at rest,
or so it seems,
is time to contemplate
in solitude, while others still
are snuggled in their dreams.
A time to think…
to meditate…
to plan…
to reminiscence…
to count blessings…
to savor coffee,
and slowly awaken, knowing that
The day ahead is opportunity…
to give and to receive,
to do and just to be,
to fill with smiles and joy,
the moments wait for me.