Angels

 I saw this picture this week, and it really resonated with me. I don't always see Susie as a child with special needs, because the majority of the time she does things that a typically developing 4 year old does. Susie is so incredibly special to our family and her quirks are what we love best about her. However, sometimes it's hard to explain to people that Susie does things differently.

Susie is LOUD. When she's mad, she's loud. When she's happy, she's loud. When she is tired, she is loud. When she's excited, she is loud. You get the point, Susie is heard where ever we go!

Susie is MESSY. Susie leaves a mess wherever she goes. She leaves a trail of food at church. Every time she eats pizza, we have to clean the carpet! Chocolate ends up all over her face as she enjoys every bite! 

I have mentioned that taking Susie new places can be difficult. Most of the time people are very kind and generous if they see us struggling. However, we have had a few encounters lately where people don't understand. 

A few months ago we were eating dinner at a Hibachi grill. Susie HATES fire and we didn't think about that before going in. When the fire got big, Susie was inconsolable. She was climbing up my back and getting very upset. We got her iPad and she started to calm down. Later, we found out that a patron from across the restaurant had asked the waitress to make us turn it off. Fortunately, the waitress told them no. It made me very sad to think that these people made a rude comment, without knowing the whole situation. 

I also had an encounter with a young girl that kept talking about how loud Susie was. She continued to talk about her "fits" and that she was "yelling" all the time. I explained to the girl that Susie was having fun. She then said "it must get old listening to her be so loud." I then told her that Susie couldn't talk, so being "loud" was her way of communicating. 

This brings me back to the quote at the beginning, "sometimes angels are disguised as kids with special needs to teach us how to be better people."