Serendipitous Girl

My daughter and I are all too familiar with rude looks, glaring stares, and insensitive comments. The cause? A handicap placard, Jayde-Rhiannon in her wheelchair, boarding first on an airplane or skipping the line at amusement parks. My favorite retort to the insensitive, aggressive comments is, "And you don't look like an asshole, but that just goes to prove you can't judge a book by its cover." My retort tends to stun and silence the ignorance long enough for us to escape. Yesterday, I was excited to meet four childhood friends for lunch. We started meeting up a few months ago. One of the women I've known for more than forty-five years. We are all on our way to becoming empty nesters. Although I am functioning on minimal sleep, I don't care. I am dressed and comfortable in my own skin. Or I was, until I heard a shrieking scream from Jayde, only to discover a fiasco with one of our cats. Fifteen minutes later, the crisis is handled, but now I need to quickly ...

          Coming to terms with the fact my daughter is disabled was an emotionally challenging road. Although I rarely discuss it, there are still days I struggle with the reality that is her life. A significant part of that struggle stems from the ignorance in the world around us, whether that ignorance is in the form of attitude or lack of education. Today, compliments of the rantings of a political commentator who needs to check her attitude and gain some education, I am fighting the struggle. Last summer, one of Jayde's healthcare professionals, attempting to justify why she felt Jayde no longer needed care, stated, "She went to Chicago, so I assumed she is doing better." If you follow Jayde's journey, you witnessed a glimpse of what it took to prepare her for that trip. Besides being infuriating, the comment was ableist. However, it wasn't the first ableist comment our family has encountered. Sadly, I'm confident it will not be the last.  Jayde-Rhianno...

April 19, 2022 It's all a part of the journey, her journey. Compliments of Brett's family, this time tomorrow, Jayde and Brett will be in Chicago. For the first time, Jayde will be flying while accessed. Mama Bear is excited for her yet terrified. It was a rough morning. She has her gummies to help with the pain, nausea, and anxiety while flying. Here is hoping her experience with the TSA is better than when we flew to California, and they do not grope her port again. April 20, 2022 Thank you, everyone, for the comments on my prior post and texts from my dear friend checking in on me last night and this morning. This is Jayde-Rhiannon's first significant trip and flight without us. This morning, Brett's mom, Nicole, drove them to the airport. Then, TSA Cares ensured they made it through security without incident. No groping was involved. Jayed and Brett arrived in Chicago before 1:20 our time. For the next five days, Jackson and I are empty nesters. Have a blast, my ...