On Martin Luther King Day and everyday, I am holding onto hope.
Yesterday, I went for a run with my husband. It is one of the things that I love to do with him. The outdoors and the time alone allows for such a nice escape.
As we ran by our neighborhood park, I noticed a young man swinging and smiled. As we got closer, I realized it was Cole. Our own monthly contributor. For those of you that may not know, Cole is a High Schooler in a specialty IT program locally, he has Aspergers and writes for us here.
I smiled and waved, he did too. As we passed him, I thought to myself, how incredible is it that Cole is able to walk from his home alone, go to the park, have a little time alone and get back home. I thought, wow, he knows how to cross the street safely, he knows how to get back to his house and his parents are able to trust this all. I was so happy for them.
Then, I began thinking about my son, wondering if he can ever get to that point. Thinking about whether I would be able to trust and have that safely happen someday. Creating a plan to see if we could try. My mind was busy. Autism is so different for so many.
The run ended, we got home and I pocketed all of my thoughts. I was happy for Cole and thankful that I witnessed this. I added this to my wish list for Marky and am holding hope that together, we will make this happen for him. It may not be today or tomorrow, but, it may be.
Hope. We all need it.