Many

     When you first have children your life opens up to a world of possibilities: new people, new activities, new places, new friends; so much is new and a family first. And when you have children with extraordinary needs, your world becomes even bigger and also much smaller. Dreams are rearranged, goals are altered sometimes hopes are dashed but still as parents, we wish and pray and even hope for simpler futures, for baby steps with big outcomes. At our house we count up days that are seizure-free, nights of good sleep, outings that are special because of the presence of friends or family. For some families these things are not yet theirs: seizures are ongoing, sleep is hard won and outings are few because of a lack of understanding and acceptance in the world outside. And some families are dealing with much bigger daily issues: heart surgeries, feeding tubes, wheelchairs and endless hospital stays. The list of trials many families face goes on and on....
     But there is help in many cases: respite for parents, educational assistants at school, programs and facilities, teachers, doctors, helpers, coaches and volunteers. We have come across some very special people as a result of our daughter's different abilities, more than we could possibly mention or even count. And this is how our world is made big, by the people who help. As our daughter takes steps toward adulthood and independence, she takes those steps with the support of so many helping hands. Many helping hands do not mean that she won't fall--- she almost certainly will. Many helping hands mean that she will have a great deal of help to get back up and keep moving forward.