My Sweet girlfriend Lorilee gave me a link to a blog she thought i would like. I think it's called "enjoying the small and Simple things". I'll have to get the link on my blog because I so relate to this cute mom on every level. The first post I read of hers was how she just hated the poem she got about Holland. Now all of us Mom's who have children with special needs knows about this poem. Some of you take it and embrace it, and others of you relate it to the very day that you got the news of your new little one. I am one of the moms who did not love it. Although i know it means all good things,the day i read it was probably one of the worste days of my life. Now what came of that day turned out to be one of the BEST things in my life. But I will forever relate this poem to My worst day!
Here's the poem.... "Welcome To Holland"

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland!

AS I continued reading this blog I read a post that had this poem in it. She got it from someone who left a comment on her blog.( I think that everyone should always leave comments because they never know how they may help someone with their words...I am trying to make sure I do that now). Now, I love this. I am going to put it all over my house. It is so important to enjoy the days that are quiet and relaxing. Because you never know when the next one will come. Right now My "normal" days are very far and few inbetween, but I do appreciate them when they come. I swear this poem was written just for me. Today my husband let me sleep until I woke up on my own....Can you believe I slept until noon? When I came down stairs he said "Feel Better"? He knew that I needed that. I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!
We both have been pretty stressed latley with this whole JOB thing. Yes we are again facing the terribleness(Not sure if that's a word) of the economy again. His new Company Is doing awful...But that's a whole other story. Needless to say, YES we are again looking for another job. But, alot of you out there know exactly how this feels right. Things will get better again I know they will. We Just have to enjoy those "Normal" days when they come right?

"NORMAL DAY"

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day, I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."

LOVE THIS!