Gabriel

Ok - now for a little humor before I end for the night. Our son Gabriel is a joy. He has been disgnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but is very functional. He has a few quirks though and sometimes doesn't recognize appropriate "social norms". The following is one of those situations...

This past weekend we had to replace the shingles on our roof. We had LOTS of family and friends over for 2 days straight helping us with this project. We were so very blessed by their time and assistance. My sister Beth and her husband Jeff were down - Jeff is a workhorse - (amazing and very talented), and Beth just came to "hang-out" with me for the day! :)

On Sunday evening she and Gabriel went for a walk. They had been gone for quite awhile when I see them walking very quickly down the sidewalk towards our house. Beth is laughing and has tears coming out of her eyes. Gabriel is running up the deck to our door and has his pants halfway down his legs, waddling to get inside.

I have to know what is going on so she tells me....they had walked up to the school, which is about 4-5 blocks from our home. They played on the playground equipment and she pushed him on the swings. He told her that she was "the best one ever" and "his best friend". :):) Then all of a sudden he gets off the swing and says "I think I will go to the daycare -(which is right next door to the school) and go to the bathroom".

Beth tells him that because it is Sunday the daycare is closed and they can't go in - he is sure that she is wrong that it is Wednesday. But she assures him it is Sunday and they will have to walk home to use the bathroom.

As they start to walk home he tells her "Beth, I think I am going to poop myself"!!! Needless to say Beth started walking MUCH faster. She knew it was a ways to go and she was praying that he wouldn't poop his pants in the middle of the journey. :) (She doesn't have kids yet...I think it freaked her out a bit)

So she was laughing at Gabriel and he told her that she should stop being silly, and she said Gabriel you are the one being silly. And he answers "Why? because I said I am going to poop myself?" Things with Gabriel have always been pretty matter-of-fact.

Thankfully - he made it home in time and did not have an accident. We praised him for that! :) And Beth and I laughed so hard we both cried while he was inside.

Life is a journey - sometimes it is one that causes us to be fearful that we "won't make it home" and other times it is one that causes us to laugh until we cry. I am grateful today for both.