To the parents who brought their adult autistic daughter to church...
To the parents who brought their adult autistic daughter to church tonight…
Thank you.
No, I really mean it. Thank you.
We weren’t sitting by you. But my son Sawyer noticed your daughter immediately.
He pointed her out to me right away.
‘Mom! That girl. She’s happy like Cooper.’
From that second on we were drawn to her.
See, she felt like home to us.
Because every single time the music started, she stood and danced. And no one else was dancing.
I mean let’s be real. This was a Catholic mass. And if I’ve learned anything over my 41 years, Catholic masses are often more serious. Reserved.
But she didn’t care. And neither did her family. And the thing is…she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Just something different than everyone else.
Sometimes you would sit her down. If she got too excited. But mostly you let her dance.
At one point Sawyer got protective. As siblings to special needs children do.
‘Mom, what if people get mad at her. For dancing?’
And right there during Silent Night we spoke about awareness and acceptance. And how it’s hard when people stare at Cooper.
I see a bravery in his eyes that I have never seen before.
When mass was over, I immediately made my way to you.
My son said…‘don’t be weird mom.’ But I couldn’t help it.
‘Thank you for being here.’ That’s what I said to you. And I truly meant it. Seeing a family like ours in the wild means everything to me.
And then I started crying. Happy, thankful tears.
This is the thing with advocacy. We often think it’s big elaborate actions. But really…it’s everyday things.
Like going to church.
You asked where Cooper was, and we chatted for a while about how scared I am. How it’s still so hard.
You told me it gets easier. You told me to come back. Every Sunday at 11.
When we left, I wiped my tears. Sawyer held my hand.
‘Maybe next year Cooper can come mom.’
I just wanted to say thank you to you and the people who live this autism life out loud. Navigating this is hard sometimes and I needed to see you. I needed it more than I can tell you.
This was the view when I pulled into the driveway tonight. I wanted to share it with you. This is my boy Cooper.
If you are looking for a gift for someone in your life, please grab my book, Forever Boy. It’s filled with stories like this one and will not only educate, but warm anyone’s heart who reads it. It’s perfect for parents, grandparents, friends, family, teachers, whomever. And if you have prime, you will get it on time! I just checked!
And finally, a fun video to share with you!
Visiting The Polar Express has always been Cooper’s dream. And it was truly magical.
Thank you all for being here!
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I remember this story. Thank you for sharing it again! And thank you for talking to that mom. I would give anything for someone to come up to us in church to thank us for being there!
Kate this story speaks volumes about inclusion,acceptance and genuine.kindness. that child was expressing herself and that awesome. I'm so glad you approached her family,you share so openly and from the heart that's what I love so much
One day cooper will go to church and my prayer is that someone thanks.tou for bringing him like you did that mom
I want to thank you for sharing your story,your son and your family everyday
You are amazing ♥️♥️♥️