Faith in All Things

I originally posted this on January 21, 2011. I still wonder at the best son ever!

Today, as most of you on here know, my son, Bill received an award for "Virtue of the Month" for his school. It's a Catholic school and often the virtues seem hard for a kid to achieve. Today Bill received the award for the virtue of Faith.

I had to think very hard on what it meant to receive such an honor. In what way did my son epitomize Faith? The principal of the school spoke about it today during the prayer service for the award-ees (one from each grade). She said it just doesn't mean being a believer and having Faith but showing that Faith through acts and deeds. My Bill is a sweet heart. He is kind, generous and will help anyone who asks. He is my angel.

I thought about this word Faith and what else it could mean to us.

When my son started Kindergarten last year, at the same school, it was horrible. Everyday at work I was in excruciating agony  waiting for the phone to ring. Did he hit someone today? Did he throw a book at someone? Throw a chair? Spend the day crawling under the desks? Or was in the office? Many times he was in the office and I was never told. He would spend time with the Sisters and they would give him things to do. Rarely did i get a call to come get him but they did come.

It was an unbelievable stress. It was not the first time. When he started preK4, at the base daycare, we really knew something was wrong. Then the diagnosis of Autism. I did not have time to be upset - I had to mobilize my resources for Bill. All for my Bill.

I could never give up on him and I wasn't planning on it. If I did feel a moment of weakness I felt terrible for it. There were not many but I would lying to you if I said there were never any. I had to just say to myself, "I'm not giving up on my son." I had to exude that. He had to know it and so did everyone else!

I HAD to have Faith of my own. I had Faith that Bill would be...okay. I had to have Faith that I was doing everything I could for him. That I was there for him. That we all were. As a family...and a community.

A friend and mentor that used to work in my office, called to congratulate Bill on his success today. I had forgotten that she was there last year when he started Kindergarten. It seems a blur now. She saw what I went through. The struggles and now the successes. She was there for me then and still is...for the whole family.

There are many more, of course, to thank. To thank for having Faith in Bill.

I continue to have Faith in my son. Faith in my family. Faith that comes from surrounding him with family, friend, teachers and professionals.

Now Bill has confidence and Faith in his own abilities. Faith that he knows he is loved. Faith that he can do anything. And if you really know Bill...you don't doubt it.

Thank you. Thank you all. For your Faith.