I'm happy to report that our house has, for an entire week, been free of any activity that would garner the attention of local law enforcement! This is an improvement...



So, since we are a little low on excitement (thank goodness), I will just give you some thoughts.

Last evening I attended a memorial service for a 53-year-old mother, who has struggled with her health over the last couple of years. Her son, who has autism, came to PCS as he was preparing to enter the ninth grade. Being a devout Catholic family, he had attended one of their schools during the elementary years. Because of his "disability", he was terrified to enter the public high school. He knew that he would be an easy target for bullying, and the classroom situations would be both intimidating and inadequate for his educational needs.

The day I met this boy and his sweet mother, I knew we could solve their dilemma. Those first few weeks were a learning experience for me, as I learned to recognize his way of communicating and became familiar with his abilities. Other students will remember how his attempts to return a volleyball during those first gym classes were mostly a swing at the air, but within just a few weeks, his motor skills improved drastically. His face would light up when he would receive commendation for an academic achievement, and he loved his classmates. Watching him thrive and grow for four years was one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I had a couple of minutes to reflect before the start of the funeral...and I was watching William. So confident, freely talking to his relatives, friends, and neighbors, and so grieving the death of his mother, who had loved and cared for him for 22 years (he lost his father in 2001). I immediately thought...what if? Up until the death of his mother this week, he had been an assistant at her floral shop...taking orders, helping customers, sorting flowers...he had sorted out 100 dozen roses the day before Mother's Day, and when I called to place our order, he answered the phone with the professionalism of a businessman, and correctly placed and filled my order. I was so proud to see that he was really becoming self-sufficient.

We didn't have a whole lot of what the world deems imortant to give William. We don't receive government funds to have a special education department with specialized classrooms, counselors, and lots of assessments and 'intervention'. We brought him into our classroom and into our hearts. We tailored a course for graduation that was both challenging and attainable, and our students surrounded him with the love of God and the bond of friendship. That's the way it is supposed to be, and these years later, William still glows when he sees his PCS family.

Then my mind wandered on...ten days previous, I sat in the same funeral home, same room, for the service of a 47 -year-old mother (she died one day before her 48th birthday). My heart was so heavy for her children. Watching a daughter stand by the casket and adjust her mother's sweater, making sure everything was just right, was about more than I could take.
As moms I think most of us share a common fear: the idea that something may happen to us before our children are grown and settled. It is a scary thought...not that someone else couldn't 'mother' my children, but the fact that God has given them to me, and I want to raise them with the values and ideals with which He is pleased, and I love them more than any other mother would or could because I gave them life. It is an amazing thing.

After the funeral (this is totally random and unrelated), I went shopping at a supermarket on the west side of Lima. After dragging my tired body all over that mega-store, I proceeded to the checkout, satisfied with my bargains and my couponing strategy (yes, it is a strategy). :)
As is typical for that store, ****** (you guess which one), they charged me on an item I was to receive free. It was about a $2.39 mistake, so I felt it was worth worrying about. I snagged an employee who was nearby, and verified that the item was free with the purchase of a certain number of other items, and I had fulfilled that purchase. She then asked another cashier, who said, "Well, she must not have purchased the right stuff." After an explanation, she told me that I would have to go to the service desk (opposite end of mega-store) to retrieve my $2.39. Nearly every time I go to that store, they cheat me out of anywhere from .50 to $1.00, and I usually don't even fool with it because of the extreme hassle. The cashier usually likes to argue about it before finally realizing that the customer is right, and since the transaction is usually already completed, you can't get your money back at the register.
Since this was a little more money, and after all I had spent lots of time clipping coupons to save these amounts, I figured it was worth the effort. Being the non-confrontational sort, I rarely complain about service at stores or restaurants, but since I was already there, I uttered the dreaded words, "Can I speak to the manager, please?" When the manager came out, I explained that I'm not the type to complain to a manger, but that I was there and this was an ongoing hassle. We talked about how these situations could be remedied, and possibilities for making customer service a little more "customer" oriented. He was so gracious, and assured me that he would be working to improve these areas.
Moral of the story...if you shop at ****** located on Elida Rd. at the west end of Lima (near Eastown), watch your receipts closely...you probably aren't getting the savings you have been promised. :)