Endings and beginnings

Friday, August 22, was a monumental day in Henry's life, and I'm afraid words simply can't do it justice. Maybe if I write it in all caps?

IT WAS HIS LAST DAY OF SPEECH THERAPY!

Janet, our speech therapist extraordinaire, has been a Godsend not only as a therapist for Henry, but as a friend and encouragement to me. In the last few months she mentioned she was about to reach the end of what she could do with Henry one-on-one and that he really needed a social skills group. On August 15, she declared, "I've been sitting here thinking, 'How can I justify seeing him every week?' I can't." We decided the next week would be our last, and I have to say it was a bittersweet good-bye.  Janet has helped him achieve so much, and we will undoubtedly miss her (we have already), yet it was amazing to know he had reached this summit. With tears in our eyes, Janet and I hugged good-bye.

The good news is, we'll still see her in the halls at Emerge! And there's more good news. Brooke, Henry's occupational therapist, developed a social skills group for little ones like Henry. The group started last week and Henry is doing so well. It is called Social Butterflies, for ages 5-7, and helps develop communication, play skills, and participation in appropriate peer interactions. They are using the Social Thinking and Zones of Regulation theories, which I'm familiar with and excited about. These should be terrific for Henry.

Oh, Lord, we have so much for which to be thankful! All praise to Him for the glorious little boy we have in this house.