Holland

A friend of mine posted this piece the other day on social media and I had to share. Once you land in ‘Holland’ it is truly amazing all of the special people you meet and reconnect with along your journey. This friend in particular, I happened to run into one day when I was with Camden at U of M for physical therapy. At the time she was a speech therapist there and I saw her in the waiting room as she was coming out to greet one of her patients. No one would have ever guessed that two plus years later we would be on a similar path. She welcomed her second child and a few months later found herself in ‘Holland’. Her beautiful baby boy was diagnosed with a different genetic mutation than Camden but also very rare. Neither of us planned this trip, but it is nice to know someone that knows, what it is like to be in ‘Holland’.

Having a differently-abled child is like nothing you could ever begin to explain to anyone.  Unless you personally land in Holland, the closest you can get to understanding is reading books, seeing pictures and video and hearing stories of someone else’s experience.  I once thought I would never be able to have a differently abled child, I am not patient enough, I am not selfless enough and the list goes on.  I cannot say that there have not been moments of sadness, pain, heartache and mourning a life I envisioned our son to have.  Everything in life happens for a reason and I can honestly say that Camden is one of our greatest gifts and I would not change a thing about him for the world.  He not only is a light in our lives but he is a teacher to everyone that takes time to get to know him.  He has taught us to be patient, to be kind, to see the best in everyone and most of all to celebrate even the smallest of life’s wins.  No ones life is written the same.  Instead of us worrying about if our kids will be the best athlete, the most intelligent, the most popular; Camden and his friends have taught us to focus on making sure our kids are kind, understanding, and accepting.  That my friends is life’s greatest gift.

I was reading this to one of my friends over the phone the other day and upon the conclusion she mentioned that this would resonate with a lot of people in different circumstances as well. The more I thought about it, she is absolutely right. Life rarely happens as planned; we plan for Italy and sometimes we end up in Holland.

Until next time,

3 C’s and a K

I would love to hear your thoughts on ‘Holland’!