This week we passed the anniversary of Sam's diagnosis. I thought about it and considered writing about it, but I chose to focus on something else. It was 2007 when the word autism connected to Sam and we have come so far since then. It hardly seems like the same life honestly. Most Days. Other days It's still just as bad but with a bigger child to control, and that can be hard. The difference now isn't so much him , though he has made huge leaps the past few years, it's me. I understand more of what makes him tick. It took me 8 years to figure out just a small slice of what makes Sam I am who he is.
I am working so hard at focusing on advent and my heavenly father that I am making a conscious choice to not dwell on it right now. Something amazing occurred to me this year Sam's anniversary of his diagnosis falls on the feast of St. Nicholas. Sometimes gifts come in packages wrapped with shiny paper and beautiful bows, others simply fly under your radar. Maybe that is how it is for us. Sam is a gift to all of us, even on those difficult days that make me cry. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you least expect.
