Change is hard. I’m more aware than ever today with slightly over 4 months before my guys age out of school and into adult services. But I’m celebrating if only for a moment an emerging skill – the ability to open AND CLOSE the basement door as they complete the full chain of school bus entry – get your backpack, put on your coat, open THEN CLOSE the door, and press the garage door opener button.

We’re 2 for 2 today. Baby steps toward the future. Progress measured by any size yardstick is progress all the same.

As I ready them to march out a lot of doors, I want to make this transition thorough – safe – and done right. The adult services world is less daunting right now than all the other stuff, the really scary stuff, like not living with Mommy and having me let go (yikes!) of all those important to me items like flossed teeth and cleanliness. On the one hand, their lives won’t change all that much. Hopefully if funding allows a school bus-looking vehicle will still arrive, transport them somewhere outside the home that’s safe and structured, and occupy them for 6 hours, hopefully meaningfully.

On the other hand – they will not be eligible for a lot of the things we enjoy now, as sanity-savers for me if no one else. Like care support after school and occasional respite. I’m sure there will be plenty of other fights too for health care supports we also now enjoy that may go.

Just beforehand I went for a walk with a dear friend. We ended up somewhere new, an open field with a path cut across a field and over a gently arching footbridge, leading up a sun-drenched hillside dotted by red and yellow and orange trees that cried “I’m happy!” from every branch. “Don’t you just love an open path?” she said.

Yes -I do. 🙂