This kid. Luke. My absolute love in all ways just turned 9 (well, on April 8th). Luke is a strange kid in many ways–so unlike his sister, Maddie, who has transitioned through life effortlessly. Luke, on the other hand, has been slow to catch up. According to our doctors, he’s about 3 years behind socially and emotionally. He has ADHD and ODD. He is in speech therapy and occupational therapy. And because of his ODD, he can be quite difficult and defiant. These might all be seen as faults for some people, but for me, Luke is JUST PERFECT the way he is.
Yes, he can be challenging, but he also tells me he loves me about 20 times a day–NO JOKE. Yes, he still plays with toys that are much younger than appropriate for his age, but he doesn’t care at all. He will wear a MY Little Pony t-shirt to school and kids will make fun of him, but it doesn’t even register with him. Other’s opinions about him have no relevance in how he sees himself (The exception is how his parents see him. That does seem to affect him).
Luke loves harder than anyone I’ve ever met. His worldview is filled with beauty–some might say naive–but what I would give to have his enthusiasm for life, his unflinching love for almost everyone, and his belief in all things good.
Sure, he can be annoying (just ask Maddie) and he will interrupt any conversation, run around the house naked, announce to anyone who is listening that he “has to go number 2, ok?” He will throw a tantrum and scream at me and I will get frustrated. But as soon as he sees me getting frustrated, he will run over and hug me and tell me how much he loves me.
Luke made our family whole and I am such a better mother and person because of him.
So for his birthday we went to a climbing gym with family and friends AND I THINK LUKE HAS FOUND HIS ATHLETIC NICHE! He was a natural!
Then there was cake and presents–his favorite, of course, was a My Little Pony castle.
So happy birthday to my amazing son, Luke. He is so loved. Everyone needs a Luke in their life. He makes even gray mornings shine.
A Year of Thanks 