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Well Reader,
I just wanted to update you on my 2nd Annual No Small Victories Autism Awareness Event/Walk-a-thon. As you know, due to inclement weather we had to reschedule from our original date of September 28th and change our venue to what I had hoped would be a venue much more agreeable to the unpredictable nature of New England weather for this time of year. Well, the day turned out to be a beautifully brisk autumn New England day. I had a good variety of service providers on hand, a fire truck for the kids, face painting and tattoos... I even had a clown...and the people who turned out could have been counted on one hand (with the notable exception of a sponsoring organization- The Black Men of Greater Springfield and the W.E.B. Dubois Academy, much love and thanks for everything once again!). I was feeling somewhat disappointed as I sat at my beautifully book laden book signing table and waited, and ...waited. Long story short, as the other presenters and I were dismantling our displays a young lady came in. I approached her as she said to me that she just gotten off work and wondered if she was too late for the autism awareness event. I put on my best smile and started to gather information from the presenters for her before everyone could disperse. Something in this young ladies tentative smile and cautious demeanor felt all too familiar, you see I have been and I am still her, a mother dealing with the enormity of autism. As we started to talk I discovered she was a newbie...someone who had just recently recieved her son's diagnosis. I asked her to join me at a table so we could talk (and cry if we needed, of which we did both). Before long the other presenters (all of whom were mother's of children with disabilities or someone who have worked hard in the disability service industry) had surrounded this young lady in a cocoon of support and love. In that moment all of the hours I had spent in preparing for this event were made more than worthwhile and the meaning of what I am doing became that much clearer. I am not a clinician or an educator. I am a parent trying to get through the day and face the fears that we all face as parents of children with disabilites in an uncertain world, and maybe share an experience I had yesterday that may help someone else tomorrow. In that moment the true realization of No Small Victories became that much more clear...there are No Small Victories...every accomplishment should be celebrated, and every one that you can touch, or support, listen to, cry with, pray with or cheer on will enrich your life, and in my case, makes this experience worthwhile! Until next time...
Jacqueline Williams-Hines |