Bucket List

Have I told you all that I made a bucket list for our family?

For 9 1/2 years we were mostly homebound. And in those 9 years we worked on things like safety, waiting, sitting, standing and communicating.

The progress felt painfully slow at times. But his hard work, ours too, is starting to pay off.

Last week we visited a zoo! The week before that it was a pool.

Today, it was an aquarium. A real aquarium with sharks and sea turtles and string rays.

The place was deserted and our family was able to move slowly and take our time. See, our older son was looking for the whales. He checked everywhere.

He didn’t find any. But it turned out okay.

It was a good day. The escalator gave us a little trouble at first. Picture the scene from Elf. That was him.

His mask stayed on the whole time too. It slipped once and an employee asked him to fix it. We obliged. And then when he saw the stress starting to rise in our sweet boy, he smiled at us and said…‘it’s okay. I can see that he’s trying very hard.’ And he was. It was so kind. The act of being seen. And being understood.

See, we are always trying. We never stop. If I could tell people one thing it’s that being in the world is so hard for him. But he’s trying. We just ask for grace as he navigates and learns.

Next on the bucket list is bowling and a trampoline park. Big places include the ocean and the railroad in the Smoky Mountains.

His dad and I don’t know if it will ever happen. But we sure are going to try. Especially since the whales are so important to him!

Because he deserves to know the world and the world deserves to know him.

Thank you SEA LIFE Aquarium for the fun time!

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.