It's now been a year since Leah switched daycare centers. Her first day at her new school was the first week of June, and with that anniversary here, I am reminded of what a difficult time we had last year. Can I just burn the memory from my mind and forget about it altogether? That old saying "when one door closes, another opens" rings true for me in this situation. I never would have found Leah's new daycare had we not otherwise been turned away. I suppose we would have been blissfully unaware that we could have something better for Leah. There are times when I'm dropping her off or picking her up when I just feel overwhelmed with emotions and I can't believe our good fortune that we ended up here. But then I remember how we got here. It's been a year but it's still very fresh, and is still hard to talk about it or even think about it without getting emotional or wanting to punch someone in the face (you know who you are, old daycare center director).
Even typing it here, I start tearing up as I think about last year how our last daycare... kicked her out because... of her disability. Insert major heartbreak. I suppose in all great stories, there is a plot twist, a conflict that the characters have to overcome, and this is just that for us. Luckily we got the happy ending. I just wish it didn't come with heartache to get here.
As I think about other things going on in our lives at this time last year, it was also when we got her first wheelchair, the one she still has today. That was a huge step for her, and for us, in a lot of different ways. Getting a chair has given her a huge gift of mobility. It has also given me a sort of finality that she is going to be a wheeler. Yes, she is practicing standing and walking, but then I look at her little legs that are as floppy as overcooked spaghetti noodles and wonder if she'll ever muster the courage and strength to do it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
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