Shout Out to JH

August 09, 2013

Shout Out to JH

Today is Waverly & Oliver's last day of day camp at Jill's House. What a fantastic program they put together for the kids this year. Our family adores the summer day camps, because it allows the kids to participate in camp-like activities, in a environment made just for them. They socialize with other children, the staff is incredible, they are able to swim with the support of lifeguards, jump in moon bounces, play on an adaptive playground, and so much more. We are so fortunate to have this facility in our area. Thanks to the many volunteers and staff members of JH who love our kids and take such excellent care of them.

Comments

Anonymous said…

School's starting soon! Sounds like the family had a full and fun summer. I hope you get to the beach again this fall. We may do a Rehobeth day trip soon before school starts. love nm

August 11, 2013 at 1:23 PM

Anonymous said…

I just stumbled across your blog completely by accident and I became teary eyed when I read the inspiration for your blog title. What a beautiful description of life with your precious children. I'm glad you're willing to share your story and I came across it tonight.

August 31, 2013 at 10:13 PM

Welcome to Holland

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.