Through Their Eyes

Yesterday, Jeremy and I had an impromptu visit with Jeremy's "other set of parents". 

Jeremy has been friends with Uncle D, otherwise known as Dustin, for oh, 25 years.  Dustin's parents are basically another set of parents to Jeremy.  I'm pretty sure they should have claimed him as a dependent on their taxes and charged Jer's Mom for part of their monthly grocery bills.  Right JimBob & Linda?!  They tell awesome stories about my husband and Uncle D as young lads, fishing with sprees and singing MC Hammer all the way to Florida.  I just sit back, listen, and giggle at the thought of these two, now grown men, as kids.

What got me was their comments about AJ. 

"He's doing great, really great."

They played with him, honored his signs when he was communicating with them, and just treated him "normal".  They did not sit and watch him like a zoo exhibit.  They aren't scared of him.  They love him like another set of grandparents should. 

I always have sentimental moments when JimBob holds AJ...I think some of it is from missing Jer's Dad and envisioning would have been like as a grandpa, and missing my Dad and how he was with AJ during the short time he was alive after we brought AJ home. JimBob has always just has this way about him that is so endearing.  It makes my heart melt, and I always.always.always choke back the tears when he's with AJ.  Yesterday it was picking off the leaves from the tree that got me....

To hear, from someone who has known AJ from his beginning with us, say he's doing great, really great caught me off guard.  I think I skipped a breath actually. I sat on the patio and let that sink in for a moment.  All too often we are too close, too involved, too often everyday life paints gloomy pictures on the possibilities for AJ.  But I looked at my son in a different way after that comment was made.  As he played in the rocks and asked Pa for more bubbles.  As he was a happy kiddo just....playing.

He really is doing ok, isn't he?  I've really been trying to focus on the simple, find the simple, and unclutter my mind...make life as simple as possible.  Because complicated is just that...complicated.  So I'm trying to remember that he is doing well, that steady wins the race, not the sprinter. 

Thanks for the eye-opener Pa & Bubba.