Today, let's explore a little more of the essay, "Trip to Holland."
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.
It takes awhile to accept, that I'm in Holland. In reality, I am parenting a child with some unique challenges. It's not easy to accept. Some parents embrace this reality quicker than others. This can take weeks or it can take years! At some point, a parent begins to face this new reality. There is excitement for the little advances that are made. The progress happens at a slower pace but it still occurs.
In the mean time, a parent has learned a whole new language. It is not Dutch but it feels just as other worldly. It is the language of therapy, educational theory, learning disabilities, diagnostic criteria and neurology. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There may be many other dialects to this new language. Part of embracing this new normal is to learn all about the child and what it will take to help him make progress.
Another thing I have learned is that God had lots of surprises for me through this challenging road. He caused our family to rally around people that have challenging lives. As a family, compassion and understanding of challenging life circumstances has changed us all. God has given me a passion to mentor moms who parent in challenging situations. I have met some of my best friends through the disability community. God has redeemed what I thought was a terrible circumstance. He has a plan even in the hardest of times and wants each person to look to Him for the answers.
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