Amazing

There is that moment that someone close to Ben really connects with the way he thinks and behaves. Nurse Lisa met that moment yesterday afternoon. I have no idea when it happened. Was it the early morning hours when she was getting Ben up for the day? Was it while she bathed him and he shivered from the cold bath and then smiled as he was wrapped in the warm towel? Was it during those fun moments he was splattering paint all over her, himself, and our former dining room? I don't think so.

More than likely it was one of those moments she was engaging Ben and asked what he wanted to do. Ben had someone at his full attention and was ready to tell her where, when, and how things were gonna get achieved. And she heard him.

I did my usual thing and walked Jessie home from school. as I walked back upstairs to the studio I hear screams of laughter downstairs. So I check on things and find my boy laughing hysterically at the two clowns entertaining him. What a beautiful sight.

As Lisa was leaving she made that comment. "You know, Ben is really trying to communicate with me right now. I mean I can sense a determination in him that I've never noticed before." And as I briefly watched Nurse Jenny helping Ben paint today I could see the delight in her eyes as Ben directed the scene around him. He smiled. She smiled. I nearly wept.

How can a little boy with a vocabulary of so little bring so much joy to this world? Simply amazing.
__________________________________________________________________

Perfect Day!

I had no idea how addicting this blogging thing would become when I started last October. Neither did I know how many many wonderful folks I would get to know and who would become dear friends. I can also say I am very pleasantly surprised at how gifted my blog acquaintances are in writing about your life experiences. As you all bare your souls in the Blogosphere I am more challenged than I've ever been at being a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and an artist.

All in all I am very thankful that me and Ben did this. We as a family feel a sense of love and support that somehow was missing before we started. I honestly had two goals when I hooked up with Blogger: tell the world about what an incredible exceptional son I have and sell enough artwork to get us through the winter months. It is quite obvious those goals were met for beyond our expectations.

Today was indeed a perfect day here in the upstate of South Carolina. The temperature peaked just shy of 80 degrees with a warm breeze that erased whatever humidity was in the air. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that my art festival season essentially begins a week from today which means more time spent in the studio and less time blogging. Plus with the warmer weather expected over the next week or so my hall-pass away from Landscaping 101 is about over.

I'll still be a blogging fool as time allows over the next few months. Maybe one of these days we'll be able to afford a WiFi laptop hook-up so I can keep up with you great folks while I'm on the road. Until then I'll still be popping in on your blogs and soiling them as much as you'll let me get away with. And who knows what kind of stories I'll be able to share from my journies?