Inside Out Clothes

I just put in my first load of laundry for today. As I was adding clothes to the washer, I became very frustrated. Every single item of clothing of Ethan's was inside out which meant that I had an added task of turning every thing right side out. I was getting so annoyed, but then I stopped as God gently reminded me....it wasn't that long ago that Ethan couldn't undress himself at all. Once I realized that these inside out clothes were a sign of progress & life, I became overwhelmed with emotion....

"Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with this child."

"Thank you, Lord, for providing a path for him."

"Thank you, Lord, for the amazing progress he has made."
"Thank you, Lord, for the person I see him becoming."

"Thank you, Lord, for guiding my steps as we parent Ethan."

"Thank you, Lord, for these inside out clothes."

Oh, of course my mind didn't stop there.....I continued to ponder. Why am I always looking at what Ethan CAN'T do....instead of what he can?!?!

Socks. I worked with Ethan for a good 6 weeks specifically on putting on his own socks. He can do his underwear & pants, so we had moved on to socks. 6 WEEKS OF SOCKS! I was going out of my mind. Then, on one of my "days off" (thanks to an amazing husband who insists I take these occasional days for myself), Corey did socks with Ethan. Ethan got it. In one day from Daddy, Ethan can now put on his own socks! YEEHAW!!! I was soooo excited. But shortly after that, can you guess what my new fixation was??? Shoes.

WHY do I do this????? Ethan has come so far in his therapies yet I am always looking for the next "thing" to work on or to fix. What is up with that????? Maybe it's the teacher in me who is ready to teach the next lesson or the oldest child in me trying to be perfect at my job.....whatever the reason, I don't like it.

So......I'm going to try to look at thing differently from now on....

Instead of seeing a kid who can't sit still, 

I'm going to see a child being among his peers.

Instead of seeing a kid who doesn't eat much, 

I'm going to see a child that is taller than his peers.

Instead of seeing a kid who can't self dress, 

I'm going to see a child who can ask for his favorite shirt.

Instead of seeing a kid who cries if a cartoon character gets hurt, 

I'm going to see a child who is becoming sensitive to others.

Instead of seeing a child who doesn't sleep well, 

I'm going to see a child with an amazing mind that doesn't ever stop.

Instead of seeing a messy room, 

I'm going to see signs of life of a child I prayed for.

Instead of seeing inside out clothes, 

I'm going to see a child who is growing in every way.