No Ordinary Day

Today is good so I want to make note of it. I want to remember.

Today.

It's September 11th. I remember September 11, 2001. I went blueberry picking at a local farm. It was quiet and peaceful - a pretty strange comparison to what had happened earlier that morning.

Unbelievable.

Since that time, I've tried to mark that day by doing something wholesome and well, normal.

Because that was no ordinary day, I try to emphasize and appreciate the normal everyday things I tend to take for granted.

I've recently learned that of the "Ten Happiest Small Places In America"... I live in #4.

That's pretty smiley;)

So, seems like a walk into this happy little town would be a good choice for this normal, ordinary day of mine.

I wondered if I could pull Aidan away from his computer games to take a trip to Disneyland ( er..I mean Downtown Blacksburg)... and he seemed pretty excited to do so.

That makes me pretty smiley:)

His seizures are getting worse so he has not been able to go to school and he can't really "walk the walk" with me, so I buckle and strap him into his red chair.

And we are off!

I think the rule is to walk towards on coming traffic, but we don't. Because I'm old and I do what I want.

La la la.

And, if we did, we wouldn't be able to play the awesome walking game I made up.

As we hear a car approaching from behind (and I pray they aren't texing) I say to Aidan "Aidan, I believe the next car to pass us will be......" Then I fill in the blank with the color. If I say "white" and a big black truck races by, Aidan pounds is fists into his knees in sheer agony that I was wrong. He's quite theatrical about it all:) I think that comes from being non-verbal..he definitely means to get his point across.

 If I guess correctly, he throws his hands up, fist pumps the air and laughs and laughs! Then we do a "victory lap" and I spin him around in his chair doing donuts.

Its pretty smiley:)

I'm not sure where our walk will take us. He might want to go to a bakery.  I guess I will if he makes me.....

I know what makes this such a happy town! The bread! Thanks to Bollo's and Our Daily Bread, I haven't had to buy a grocery store loaf of bread in over 20 years. Nope, not when there is Honey Wheat, Lemon Poppy seed, Portuguese Sweet and every European bread known to man.

Oh, thank you Jesus, that gluten is my friend!

Hallelujah! :)

We take our treat to the Farmer's Market lawn. I unbuckle Aidan from his chair. I have a wide rubber band that I wrap across his chest and hold on from the back so he is arms free. He wants to push his chair.

I think this gives him a feeling of power. (Or maybe he just likes things with wheels:)

A woman walks across the lawn and says hello and wants to hug Aidan. She fills him up with positive affirmations.

"Look at you go!"
"You are so strong!"
"I admire you!"

She tells me she owns the Ethiopian restaurant next store.

She says:

"I want you to come and eat with me"
"Anytime! Anytime!"
"I want you to come eat, anytime... on me"

Her kindness and big hearted invitation brings tears to my eyes.

Well, I can't just stand there and cry.

Not in the 4th happiest town in America...

She wants to feed us.

Is there any more gracious offer than that?

She tells me I am doing a good thing with my day.

She has no idea what this means to me.

I am rethinking this.

Maybe this is ...No ordinary day.