Disney on Ice

The school that I work at is known for the transient population. Our doors are typically revolving as students transfer in and out. My caseload is forever changing. Most of my SLP coworkers write around 40-50 IEPs per year. In my twelve years at Jackson Park, I have only had one year where I didn't write at least 75 IEPs. I can dismissed 3 kids, and have 2 kids move in a month, but 5 are moving in right behind them. It makes me sad that a lot of my students aren't able to form lasting frienships because their friends are always moving. I feel that Amelia is blessed with the class that she is in. There are currently around 18 kids in her class and of those 18, many of them have been together since they were three and in preschool. They have formed lasting friendships, even at the age of six. Amelia has a bestie at school as she calls her. She knows I call my best friends besties so she has naturally picked up the phrase. We'll call her bestie Sarah to protect those children who have parents that might not appreciate their daughters being a part of a blog on the internet. Amelia and Sarah have been friends for the past two years and have gotten very close this year. They write notes to each other. They play together at recess. They run to each other and embrace in big hugs when they see each other in public. It warms my heart to know that Amelia has a bestie. Tonight during our reading time, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, so I answered it. "Hello?" "Hi, is this Amelia's mom?" "Yes..." "This is Sarah's mom. I got your number from Amelia's godmother at school today. We are going to see Disney on Ice tomorrow night and we have an extra ticket. Sarah was wondering if you would let Amelia come with us tomorrow?" A smile spread across myself as I looked at Amelia. "What does she want? Are we having a sleepover? Can Sarah come play? What are we doing?" "Oh wow!! That is so nice! Of course Amelia can come with you guys." I got the details of the trip from Sarah's mom, thanked her 100 more times, and hung up. "That was Sarah's mom. They have an extra ticket to Disney on Ice and Sarah wants you to go with her." Amelia squealed in delight and started jumping up and down on the bed. After about 15 minutes of this, she flopped down next to me, waved her hand in the air and said, "Get reading! I have to get to bed! I have a very busy day tomorrow!" I finished reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I carried Emerson to bed since she fell asleep around the part where the queen turned herself into the old woman, and came back into the bedroom to find Amelia writing a note. "What are you writing, sweetheart?" "I'm writing a note to Sarah. It says 'I like you Sarah. There is no good without you. Love, Amelia." She ran and threw the note in her backpack and then crawled into bed. I tucked her in, kissed her goodnight and headed for the door. "Mommy, just one more thing?" "Yes, Amelia." "Will you miss me tomorrow night?" "Yes, we will, but I am so so happy that you have your bestie and that you get to go on your first friend outing tomorrow that that happiness is bigger than how much I will miss you. So, I hope that you go and have a great time with your bestie." "Mommy, she's so much more than a bestie. That's how much I love her and want to be with her!" "That is so great Amelia!! I'm glad that you like Sarah so much!" "Mommy, sometimes I like her so much, I want to tell her that I love her!" "That's ok...you can tell her that you love her. I tell my friends that I love them all the time." "What? We can love more than our mommies?" "Of course you can! I love lots of people. I love my mommy and my daddy. I love you and Emerson. I love Aunt Julie and Uncle Ben and Grace and John. I love Melody and Clay and Kristi and Dale. There are lots of people that I love. And that's a good thing! And think about it for a second. You love all of the people that I just listed to. So, what would it hurt to add Sarah to that list too." "You're right, mommy! So, I don't want you to worry your pretty little head tomorrow. I've got this under control." "Oh, yeah? How so..." "Well, you just focus on Emerson. Sarah and I will be just fine! And I might even let her know that I love her!" "That sounds good to me, La! I love you!" "I love you more, mommy!" and I walked down the hallway to the living room. Friends are SO important in life! I have written about friends a few times on my blog. Friends are so important to me and the friends that I am blessed with in my life are a part of my family. I love my friends whole-heartedly. When you go through an unexpected event where a piece of your life is taken away, such as the passing of a husband, you tend to ponder on your life and the people in it. It doesn't take much for you to realize how precious life is, and how important it is to let those that are important to you how much they are loved. I am super paranoid about this! My life changed in a flash. The perfect life with the perfect family and that I knew was upended and my life changed in the flash. So, tell the people that are important to you that you love them, and do it often! I go out of my way to make sure that the people in my life know that they are loved and appreciated. Having a bestie is important! But don't assume that they know how much they mean to you. Tell them! Show them! Love them! Because it could all end in the blink of an eye. So, today, call a friend and let them know you are thinking about them. Send an e-mail telling someone that they are loved. Mail a card with a message of thanks to someone who has been there for you. Take a second to let the people in your life know that they are important...That they mean the world to you...That you are grateful they are in your life because you never know when they might not be...