Sunshine, Parks and Daylight Savings

If you know me at all you will know that I hate winter. I can tolerate it until Christmas but after that, I'm done. I don't like my skin being dry, I don't like having to put on my entire wardrobe on to walk Jacob to the bus and I don't like the fact that it gets dark at five o'clock. I call this "winter blues."

It's starting to get warm and I feel like a new person. I feel alive! Like I can finally breathe again. Yesterday was beautiful. No, no, no, I'm sorry, it was GORGEOUS!!! Warm weather makes me want to get out of bed and play with my kids. We had a wonderful time at church yesterday and then enjoyed a wonderful lunch with my best friend Lisa and her kids. After our afternoon naps Erick and I took the kids to a park nearby where we met some other people that had kids with autism. There's nothing like meeting people that know exactly how you feel. The kids had a blast and no one whined when we left. Erick and I talked about the fact that the trip to the park seemed normal. Jacob didn't have any meltdowns, he actually played on the playground like it's meant to be played on and when we said "lets go" everyone walked nicely to the car. We've been waiting for that moment for 6 1/2 years now. That moment when we can actually enjoy a day out with Jacob. It used to be meltdown central!! Constant resisting everything also accompanied the meltdowns. Not yesterday!! Everyone had a fantastic time.

After the park we grabbed a pizza and hung out on our back porch and ate while the kids played and grazed a little on their food. It was seven o'clock and it was still light outside, that made me smile!! The fact that my kids had played all day together with no fighting, no meltdowns and no resisting made me smile even more. I'm so thankful for the glimpses of normalcy that we've been getting lately. I hold on to these times and cherish them deeply. These glimpses are coming more and more often and I rejoice in that. I'm so proud of Jacob and how far he's come. There are days that he really struggles but he's doing so good.

Sing praises to the Lord, you his faithful people;

praise His holy name.

For His anger lasts only a moment

but His favor lasts a lifetime.

Weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:4 & 5

Yesterday as we were driving home from the park I was reminded of this song. It's actually a punk rock Christian song but it was so fitting. I think about this song often when it starts to get warm outside.

High of 75 - Relient K

We were talking together

I said, "what's up with this weather?"

don't know whether or not

how sad I just got

was of my own volition.

Or if I'm just missing the sun

And tomorrow, I know, 

Will be rainy at best 

And the forecast, I know,

is that I'll be depressed

But I'll wait outside

Hoping that I'll catch sight of the sun..

Because on and off 

the clouds have fought

for control over the sky

and lately the weather

has been so bi-polar

and consequently so have I

And now I'm sunny with a high

of 75 

since you took my heavy heart 

and made it light

and its funny how you find

you enjoy your life

when you're happy to be alive.

And the temperature is freezing
and then, after dark,
there is a cold front sweeping
in over my heart

and we might break up if I don't wake up to the sun.