WOW! What's That Smell?

After a long day at work, and I mean long, on the way home I kept going over in my mind what was in my freezer to make for dinner. There was the usual phone calls from Dani asking when I would be home and I gave the usual answer..."You'll see me when you see me". But when I walked into the house and deposited my shoes and belongings, Dani had me sit down on the couch, she gave me the Wii remote and said "Relax mom, I'm cooking dinner". My first thought was "oh, oh...what did she do now?" But I was wrong...she had a wonderful conversation with her brother Aaron during the day and feeling pretty good about herself. And I have to admit...dinner was VERY GOOD! She made her own rendition of Chicken Alfredo.

There has been a big change in Dani ever since her relationship with her dad has improved and then this new fresh relationship with her brother. That big hole that was festering in her soul is healing. But we are still taking things one day at a time because this could be the "high" before the "low". Everything happens in cycles with these FASD kids, at least in the older group I've found.

Tomorrow we are spending sometime in the afternoon with my granddaughters (Dani's nieces) at "The Tree House" in Ogden. It's like a children's museum...but better. This is where Dani can let her teenage years melt away and be the kid that she tries so hard to contain. Makes me sad to see that because society dictates how a person should act, even with disabilities. So I am looking forward to letter her hair down, literally!

Family...Thank you Aunt Debbie!

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,"Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me to; I wasn't waching for you."

We were very polite this strange and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My daughter stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked her down."Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

She walked away, her little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse".

"Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll see some flowers there

by the door...those are the flowers she picked for you. She

picked them herself; pink, yellow and blue."

"She stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never

saw the tears that filled her little eyes"

By this time, I felt very small and now my tears

began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by her bed; "wake up little one,

wake up", I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"

She smiled and said, "I found 'em out by the tree. I picked 'em

because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em

especially the blue."

I said "Honey, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't

have yelled at you that way."

She said "Oh, Mom, that's okay I love you anyway".

I said "Honey, I love you too, and I do love the flowers, especially the blue".

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that

we work for could easily replace us in a matter of days?

But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, if we pour ourselves more into work

than into our own family, it would be unwise investment indeed,

don't you think?

So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ather (A)nd (M)other (I) (L)ove (Y)ou