We attended a beautiful service for Abby at her preschool here in North Carolina. It was short, but very sweet. They put a brick for Abby in their garden. I know she would have liked it. The wind blew that day, and wind chimes sang. It was a multi-sensory garden for children with disabilities. It was the place I didn't want her to need to be when she was little. A special little pre-school I prayed she would never attend, but she did, and walking those halls I never wanted to walk, I felt comforted.
I was grateful she had a place that belonged to her. I'm glad she had special playgrounds and swimming pools, and gardens that chimed in the wind. Now she has her name on a walkway with brave other souls that walked the same road. I missed her that day, but also felt profoundly proud of the young lady that grew from the tiny girl she was then.
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| We chose where to place her brick on the path. Near the door, because she liked people, but in the sun so her name would always shine. |
Her teacher remembered her, and remembered things about her that I didn't even know then. She remembered that she loved to help in the kitchen at snack time, but I know when Abby was 3, I hadn't realized yet that she would need to be "helping" all the time. That's what made her happy. She had to be with someone every minute. She loved people and wanted to participate in anyway she could. I'm so glad her teacher figured that out, and let her help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaZMymZ3oM
This is the video of her teacher talking. It's hard to hear, but sweet. She talks about Abby teaching her patience, which was really funny to me, because I always thought of Abby as a little impatient :) She said Abby needed to be with her at all times, which was true for all of us. Then she remembered she couldn't cough or sneeze around her. That sound sent my sweet child in to a fit that lasted what seemed like forever. We all ran from the room when we needed to cough. Her teacher shared that she was well in to the next school year before she remembered she didn't need to run. I still feel that way. If I cough, my spine tenses just a bit, then I remember it's okay. Abby was much more tolerant as she grew.
The only very slight downside to the day was Emily making starry eyes at the boy that played guitar for the event. That girl likes boys :/
We have another memorial for hospice in 2 weeks, then the kids start summer break. Life just keep moving on, but every now and again we stop only to remember Abby.
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