My special needs child has taught me so much that if I wrote it all down you'd never come back to read my blog again - you'd be turned off by the length of my post.
I have learnt to be flexible and I have learnt to adapt. I have learnt who my friends are and I have learnt who I can rely on. I've learnt what my beliefs are and I've learnt that it's not important what other people think. I have learnt what is important in life and I have learnt what is not.
Dishes and housework are not as important as a precious moment hugging your child and spending time just being together. If Cameron was gone would I care about the dishes? No, I would miss his presence and that hug and that hand in mine. I would miss his cheeky smile and his popping eyebrows.
I am not the woman I was fifteen years ago, I have seen a side of life that I never imagined and it has changed me. They say a mother who loses a child is forever changed and I can relate to that. Cameron hasn't died but he has almost died so many times that I am forever changed.
I don't take anything for granted because I have learnt that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye and everything that you think is stable and secure can become insecure and unstable in a second. We have spent so much time sitting in emergency, and on the wards, watching other patients and their parents. We have watched the grief after a child has passed away and we've watched the shock as a child has suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives. Every time we watch this we are reminded just how precious life is and every time Cameron has us standing in resus we are reminded how very precious his life and our family is.
The other day I was sitting with two precious friends and we were discussing Cameron and his happiness in life. My response was - That's because he knows what is important, he knows that relationships are all that matters. He places no importance on things, clothes, events or dates he knows that people and his relationships with them are all that is important.
And that is the most important thing that my special needs child has taught me. People and our relationships with them are all that matters.
I have learnt to be flexible and I have learnt to adapt. I have learnt who my friends are and I have learnt who I can rely on. I've learnt what my beliefs are and I've learnt that it's not important what other people think. I have learnt what is important in life and I have learnt what is not.
Dishes and housework are not as important as a precious moment hugging your child and spending time just being together. If Cameron was gone would I care about the dishes? No, I would miss his presence and that hug and that hand in mine. I would miss his cheeky smile and his popping eyebrows.
I am not the woman I was fifteen years ago, I have seen a side of life that I never imagined and it has changed me. They say a mother who loses a child is forever changed and I can relate to that. Cameron hasn't died but he has almost died so many times that I am forever changed.
I don't take anything for granted because I have learnt that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye and everything that you think is stable and secure can become insecure and unstable in a second. We have spent so much time sitting in emergency, and on the wards, watching other patients and their parents. We have watched the grief after a child has passed away and we've watched the shock as a child has suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives. Every time we watch this we are reminded just how precious life is and every time Cameron has us standing in resus we are reminded how very precious his life and our family is.
The other day I was sitting with two precious friends and we were discussing Cameron and his happiness in life. My response was - That's because he knows what is important, he knows that relationships are all that matters. He places no importance on things, clothes, events or dates he knows that people and his relationships with them are all that is important.
And that is the most important thing that my special needs child has taught me. People and our relationships with them are all that matters.
Beautiful post, Jane. I've learned a lot about priorities, too, so that's probably what I'll be blogging about tomorrow (assuming I get the time because the newest addiction to the family's keeping me on my toes at the moment).
ReplyDeleteperfectly put.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharon and Katie, glad you like it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sharon & Katie, Jane. A magnificently inspiring blog post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane
ReplyDeleteVery nice reminder that people and relationships are, at the end of the day, all that really matters. And that our children are healthy and happy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaxmom
ReplyDelete