(continued. . .) My List of Three
1. Can we get a collective *high five* for those that volunteer at our schools? PTO/PTA is one of those thankless (and unpaid) jobs that can literally consume a person’s week. There are parents that dedicate tens of hours of their “free time” each day/week to fill in the financial and resource gaps in our public-school system. There is not a weekday that goes by that I don’t see some considerable contribution by our elementary PTO organization. I’ve been astounded and proud by their level of marketing, content driven social media presence, fundraising ability, and their undeniable and infectious passion and enthusiasm to build a better community for our children. I am so grateful for this group of parents and our community owes them so much.
2. This might get an eyeroll because it is gushy, but it is nothing but the truth. My husband is literally *the* rock of this family. Having a child with severe disabilities is physically, emotionally and mentally demanding. He never complains. He helps in the morning before he goes to work; he helps in the evenings after work. He helps with the significant physical demands of lifting a non-ambulatory 100-pound child, including diaper changes. He helps with dinner (actually, he is honestly the chef of the household). He helps around the house. He is the math tutor on-call. He is my emotional sounding board. He gets me (and still loves me) before I’ve had my coffee or my morning workout. He is the ideal father to three and a true partner. And mostly, I suck at telling him enough that he means the world to me; and that I’m deeply and forever grateful for him.
3. My daughter’s bus driver. I’ve already been thinking of ways in which I can show my appreciation, but while I’ve been thinking, I should have been doing. My daughter’s morning bus driver is one of the most considerate people I’ve ever encountered. Knowing that I work (and that I’m overwhelmingly stressed every workday by the demands to leave for the office as early as feasibly possible) she comes to our driveway every day with a reassuring smile that it will be ok. She greets me with encouragement. She attempts to deescalate my stress with compassion and empathy of what it is like to be a working mom. She works hard (within her power of influence) to have the bus route tighten up on the schedule so that she can arrive earlier (so I can get to work earlier). And most days, she takes my daughter in her wheelchair and gets her on the bus by herself while I go ahead and drive to the office, because again, she knows I’m stressed, and she has the influence to help.
