Ben gazes out of the back-seat car window on a rainy drive.
Reverie
Ben’s Jam
Ben was enlisted for volunteer work a few years ago by a great organization called MedWish, which repurposes otherwise-discarded medical supplies and ships them to regions throughout the world that need them. Ben, I believe, was a sorter, a task
Severe Autism and Ben’s Brotherly Love
It ain’t Jake’s fault, nor Ben’s, but a life with severe autism in the family has meant, instead of having one of those “special” twin-relationships, they never got to have much of a sibling relationship at all. As they grew,
Love, Autism, and Ben’s Tremendous Gift
Today, Ben gave me one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. From the earliest days of autism, an alleged “hallmark” was the severely autistic person’s lack of emotions that we consider universal, and central to our very humanity.
“Square”
Severe autism comes with an endless supply of heartbreaks, big and tiny. And many involve difficulties communicating wants and needs. Ben went into our bedroom during a recent visit and yanked the comforter from our bed and left it on
Ben’s Music, and Joy, Returns
Nothing, but nothing, sums up the joy of vaccinations more than the resumption of Ben’s music therapy sessions. He just had his first one. Ben’s weekly hour of music therapy with Julie was a genuine highlight of, not just his
Words, Letters, and Ben’s Love for Them
Karen not only subscribes to the New York Times crossword puzzle, but to their additional package of word puzzles and brain teasers. (Her brain likes exercise, while mine prefers sitting on the couch watching the televised fireplace.) We have noticed
Stealth Vegetable
Thanksgiving 2020 With today including a Ben visit, and Karen having spent part of yesterday and most of today making Thanksgiving food, she felt like we might be able to forgo the turkey until the weekend, which makes sense. We
Ben’s Sunrise
Four years ago today, November 8, 2016, brought one of the worst nights of my life. It took 1,460 more to get us to last night, bursting with endorphins. Yeah, sure, it’s darkest before the dawn. But good lord, it
Finally, A New President for Ben!
4 years ago, we were starting to transition Ben from saying “President Barack Obama” to Hillary. Then the crash. We went right back to Barack! We could never stand the idea of the T-word coming from his mouth or lodging