The girl stood behind the hospital wheelchair and clasped the narrow top of the plastic seat. Her mother, standing beside her (both about the same height) grabbed a handful of the girl’s pale blue shirt, directly at the small of her back, and wrapped it tight around her fist. The girl stepped forward, wobbly and … Continue reading A Love Story
Some-Day
Our family arrived at our rental condo at about 8pm on a Thursday night. We were in northern Michigan for a two-day ski trip, but Wil doesn’t ski. Our condo advertised access to two pools at the ski resort. The plan was for Wil and I to bounce between the two pools on Friday (Wil … Continue reading Some-Day
How Big Is a Millimeter?
Early animation was created millimeter-by-millimeter. To some, this is a tedious process -- much too much work. Others enjoy the sinuous flow of the completed project, unaware of or unconcerned with the process behind the scenes. To the animator, however, the diligence, patience and love poured into every intricate detail has special meaning. Each development … Continue reading How Big Is a Millimeter?
The Dance
When Wil was born, I wondered on his differences. How would they separate him from making friends? How would his differences separate him from living a full life? What I didn’t know was Wil’s differences would become woven so deeply into our daily lives that they would be our norm. One example is Wil’s dancing. … Continue reading The Dance
It’s What Friends Do
Wil’s closest friends are five girls from school; all typically-developing. In our tight-knit community, I hear over and again how special Wil’s friends are. And it’s true. They are. My gratitude is high because I know in another tight-knit community – the community of parents who have children with Down syndrome -- Wil’s friendship circle … Continue reading It’s What Friends Do
Finding Wil Taylor
Wil may have only been about 4 years old, but he had mapped out every “Employee Only” door in every grocery store he’d ever been to. As I turned to pick an item off the shelf, he’d make his move. My stomach dropped as I noticed his absence, then my brain registered what happened. I … Continue reading Finding Wil Taylor
Struuuuuuuummmm!
As our school is in a hybrid format, the kids are home on Wednesdays. One of Wil's assignments on Wednesday is to watch CNN10 (10 minute overview of news). In transition from one news story to another, there is a brief musical interlude. During one of the interludes, Wil joined in with some air guitar. … Continue reading Struuuuuuuummmm!
Something Good
Rain drops hit the pool deck. It was sometime around 1980. A group of about 10 of us kids sat on our towels joking that we needed a sun dance. Troy jumped up, raised his arms to the sky, kicked his legs and danced like no one was watching. We cheered Troy on from the … Continue reading Something Good
A Sucker for You
Communicating with Wil is an incredible experience. Though he has been in speech therapy since he was months old, he has always been one savvy communicator. A tilt of his head and a smile melts you into a puddle of mush on the spot. When music takes him over, his good vibes serendipitously course through … Continue reading A Sucker for You