Days go by...

How fast do days go by? Amazingly fast.
A week ago, I was at a picnic with Ruth. It was put on by CPAC, CT's parent advocacy center. The volunteers and staff there have been helpful to me in navigating the school stuff that crops up with a child that has difficulty with modulating her sensory intake.

I will apologize here for fuzzy photos. They were taken from my cellphone camera, and about a month ago one of the "bling bling" stick on rhinestones slid over to cover the lens. I managed to get it off, but now I have a haze. :(

This picnic was so much fun! There was a wheelchair accessible playground, with a slide that had rollers to help out those with limited movement. Ruth just loved it! There were swings, which she cannot resist. Bubble blowing was the first activity she wanted to do.

When we finished with the bubbles, we had a quick meal, and headed to the beach. The salt water is always a fun place to be, but we did not get soaked. There were jellyfish floating into shore. After chasing a few waves, Ruth and I decided to take a walk to look for shells and other fun items. We ended up using old mussel shells to lift dying (dead) jellyfish from the seaweed on the shore and placing them back into the sea. Ruth loves water, and sand and all of that fun stuff. It was not easy for me to pull her away, except that the aquarium brought along a touch tank.

Ruth loves animals, all of them. I wish I had my phone out when she asked to kiss the hermit crab. The guy's face was so funny! He stammered through how he didn't think she would like that too much. I told him she likely would do it. And so he lifted the crab and she puckered up ans smooched away. What a hoot! You will have to settle for this one of her reaching into the horseshoe crab bucket instead:

What does a mother do when a child wants their face painted, and there is no one around to help? For me the answer is obvious: you pick up the stuff and do it yourself. Before long, Ruth wanted to take over, and used a mirror to finish her face. Then, when I was distracted by helping a few kids that wanted to have their faces done, this is what Ruth did to occupy her time:

I have to tell you, I was going to mi's this wonderful day and all the memories we made. My grandmother, Mammie, was failing fast, and I needed to make the long drive to my mother's side. Mom encouraged me to stay and play, that this was important. She was right. It was good to be surrounded by others with children that do not fit the mold. I do not know sometimes if I am imagining the difficulties, and I often think I must be exaggerating. However, Ruth fit in here. She was a flitting butterfly, able to take it all in. I found that she is pretty lucky, she can get around, and her verbal skills are amazing. I am lucky too. She is a great girl with so much life and love.

After our fun in the sun, I took the long drive. My grandmother survived the night, and went to be with the Lord the following morning. For those that were with her in those last days understand this was a blessing in the midst of sorrow.