Happiness is... a brother's compassion

In my last few posts, I have alluded to some challenges with our sweet five (AND A HALF... and don't you forget it!) year-old.  I won't get into specifics here, but will say that some of the things I love most about our boy (like his strong personality) are now testing me to my breaking point.  (Both John and me, but I am the one who is home and when I am, it's with all three kids alone, so I get the brunt of  his pushing.)  He has been in enough trouble to have lost TV and iPad privileges for a week as well as his brand new toys for the first few days of that week.  Ugh.  (And that's torture for me, too!)  His extra energy and testing are going far beyond the regular "holiday-high" that most kids are on this time of year.  One minute our little man is his normal, cheery self.  The next... well... not so much.  Unrecognizable, really. 

Today was a pretty good, albeit busy, day.  He was excited about going to a classmate's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.  And, it was fun - - you know, as fun as Chuck E. Cheese can be for a parent trying to manage tokens and tickets and excitement while containing a super overstimulated baby as the excessively loud Chuck E. show played on the wall of televisions. ;) 

On our way home, we had to run a few errands.  As we pulled out of the parking lot at our last stop, Preston said to me (out of nowhere), "I wish Gracie could be me and I could be Gracie."

"What do you mean, Bubba?"

"I want her to be me so she can know what it's like to go to school without her wheelchair and run and have no trach and eat lunch with her friends like I do."

Instant nose-tingling tears. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. So proud of his good heart. Touched deeply by his thought process.  Overwhelmed by how much he loves his sister.  And relieved that, despite all that has been going on with him, his compassionate, sweet, loving soul still shines through.



Gracie and Preston at a neighborhood park on Wednesday