I know the videography is third-rate, but I’m a writer not all attuned to other modern marvels of media.  Just wanted to share our morning.

For over a year I’ve penned my most personal experiences as Everybody’s Boys’ Mom, and I took as much from it as I gave.

Today, I need to ask for something more.  I need you to take a moment to sign a very important petition.  Peter, and hundreds of thousands of children like him are on years-long waiting lists for a Medicaid Waiver, families like ours are forced into poverty to either 1) qualify for Medicaid or 2) pay for services out of pocket.

Our Waiver program in Orange, Person and Chatham Counties is currently frozen – with more than 358 children awaiting slots, slots that have not opened up for two years.

This must be a part of healthcare reform.

Please sign…

We need help from North Carolina!!

Over 300,000 individuals with disabilities are on years-long waiting lists for vital services.

NOEWAIT’S PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

The National Organization to End the Waitlist (NOEWAIT) has a petition directed to the President and Members of Congress:

“Health Care Reform Must Eliminate Waitlists and Allow for the Continuation/Portability of Services Across State Lines”

1. PLEASE GO TO THIS WEB SITE AND SIGN THE PETITION http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/noewait.html

2. PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE, INCLUDING THIS REQUEST TO CIRCULATE IT FURTHER, TO ALL LISTSERVS IN WHICH YOU ARE INVOLVED AND TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.

3. PLEASE PLACE THIS NOTICE IN ALL NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS

Please email noewait@noewait.net to keep updated as to the progress of this petition.

Circulate this in any way you can. Copy it and take it to conferences and meetings.

Isn’t it amazing how the biggest moments in life seem to happen when you least expect them.

Today was a very tough day for the boy.  His little body had betrayed him, his senses gone completely awry.  His soul  seemed lost inside a body intent upon attacking itself.  It was one of those days when all the progress seems for not, and all that is left is glaring reality.  A mother should never feel so helpless.  A child should never feel such pain.

Though, somehow resiliance won, our wonderful Beth was able to save the day (with the help of Thomas the Tank Engine) and the remainder of the afternoon went on with little incidence.

And at the end of this tireless yet seemingly ordinary day, an extraordinary miracle happened.  As I laid next to his groggy little body tonight, I whispered, with great emphasis “I love you so much, Peter.  I wish you knew that.”  And from his slumber, the most coherent assertion supplied a simple “Yes!”.

I asked, “Yes what, Peter?”

He replied, “Yes, I love you!”

Moments later the only sound audible was Cat Steven’s Moonshadow and the deep breathes of a sleeping cherub.  My tears quietly welled, and I crept out of the room, humbled by the simple magnitude of the interaction.

I might not have known it before, but I have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime.

Dear Peter,

You never knew your namesake.  He was an amazing man, with a strong work ethic and an equally sentimental side.  He loved to observe people.  He had a cynical sense of humor.  You remind me very much of him.  You are constantly taking in the world around you, so incredibly perceptive, yet at the same time quietly drawing your conclusions.  When you say something it has meaning; purpose.

Your grandfather was very much the same way.  He expected the best out of people, setting standards high, because he knew what humans were capable of.  I’d like to believe that I have lived up to his expectations, stumbling along the way, but ultimately finding my way.  I think he’d be happy to see that I don’t always take life so seriously, a lesson that he wasn’t around long enough to really instill in me.

I think he sent you to teach me that lesson.  You’ve taught me that one can have happiness without all of the answers.  You’ve taught me how to laugh in the most precarious situations.  You’ve taught me that being different is a gift.

Your grandfather has been gone for 18 years, five years longer than I had him in my life.  I still miss his presence daily, I still wonder what my life would be like today if I had the luxury of the guidance of a father.
One of the few gifts of your grandfather I could share with you was his name.  You’ve already shared tenfold with me about who he was.  He always told me to be a leader and not a follower.  It’s ironic that I’ve learned to lead by following your example.

Mommy