I can't believe I am the mother of a graduate! It seems I have waited a long time for this. At the same time, however, it has come very quickly.
I still very vividly remember the days of walking her to school from our apartment building to Centennial Elementary. She had some wonderful teachers, but when she was in 4th grade, we decided to homeschool her.
There were definitely a lot of positive things about homeschooling. One was that she didn't tire so easily so she could focus more. The other is that she didn't catch everyone's germs, which meant she was sick less often.
Another benefit of homeschooling was that I could give her one-on-one attention. Faith's biggest goal was to learn how to read. It took a long time, and although she can only read simple words and very simple sentences, she exceeded expectations
One major drawback of homeschooling is that she missed being around other kids. It didn't help that she is an only child. When I found out about Inspire Collective, I thought it would be perfect for Faith! Unfortunately, at the time it started Faith had some medical stuff that we needed to resolve. But finally in October 2017, Faith was doing better and we decided to give it a go.
There were two girls, who were sisters, that she automatically clicked with. Those two girls remain her best friends. She made other really good friends as well. Many of these girls have invited Faith to their birthday parties and they have come to hers. I love that her disability was never a barrier to making new friends in this group!
Besides making great friends, she studied history, science, STEM, music, and arts, she has participated in Christmas programs, field trips, and other special courses. We are so thankful to Nicole Elliott, for founding Inspire and also to
Mandi Wilhelm for taking it over. All of the teachers made learning so much fun. Even I learned a lot from them over the
years!
Because Inspire played such a huge role in Faith's homeschooling education, it seemed appropriate to present her diploma there. I must say, that as I gave the presentation, I was overcome with emotion. I felt so grateful that God had provided everything throughout the years to help us in this endeavor.
I was so thankful for my "Inspire family" and their love and support. They truly went out of their way to make the day very special day for Faith. Some of her classmates showered her with cards, special gifts, and even the perfect balloon! I was also thankful my parents could come to the event, even though we all made each other cry! As we rolled out the door when it was all over, she yelled, "Yay!! I did it, I graduated!"
Since Faith is already 18 and has graduated, the next step will be attending a day services program for adults with disabilities. She is excited about this opportunity. However, she is also feeling a bit anxious. She knows I am going to have to leave her there.
Since she was homeschooled, this is going to be new for her. I have never really just dropped her off and left her somewhere. She has had respite care look after her while I'm gone, but that is in here home, where she feels safe and secure. Even when we go to therapy twice a week, I am there with her.
It will definitely be different for both of us. I know, though, that this is the right thing to do and that she will probably end up loving it! I'll most likely be the one having a hard time with it!
I am still going to do a graduation open house for her, but it won't be until spring. Maybe by then, we will be done with the cold, snow, and sickness that seems to be hitting everyone we know. For now, I'm going to process the reality that my daughter is all done with school and that she is taking the next big step in her journey!
Keep scrolling to see pictures each year of school!
Faith's 21st birthday was on Friday the 25th and it ended up being an all-day celebration! She didn't sleep well the night before, so I was a little concerned she would run out of steam, but she just kept going! It ended up being a beautiful fall day, so I didn't even need to put a jacket on her, which is rare for the end of October. Faith in her new birthday shirt! This year, she was able to bring cupcakes to HIT. Last year, due to the dietary restrictions of her peers, she didn't bring any treats. This year, however, she is a new room, where they truly love their snacks! After I dropped her off, I raced around like a maniac getting her ballons, presents, and everything else ready for the surprise party we would be having at the end of the day. Faith with some of her staff making a cupcake delivery. When I picked her up from her day program, I informed her that some friends of mine that I worked with wanted to give her a special birthday treat. So, we made our w...
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm. The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
This past weekend, Faith and I both got to experience the Medora Musical together - for the first time ever! We went with my dad and sister. The singing and dancing definitely met our expectations. After the National Anthem, some of the first songs they sang included, "Let's Hear it for the Boy" and "Dancing on the Ceiling." Both songs were a great and energetic way to start the show. Faith was super excited, nearly dancing out of her chair! One reason she could hardly contain her excitement was that a few of the performers (Adam and Taylor) go to our church! The storytelling in between the musical numbers described how the little "cow town" of Medora came to be, as well as the influence that Theodore Roosevelt had in North Dakota. View from our seats! Close up of the performers. Auntie Dawn and Grandpa During the song, "Paint Your Dreams Across the Sky" by Dolly Parton, the cast invited the children to join them onstage. I wasn't e...
Remember David Letterman's Top 10 lists? That was back in the day when late night TV was actually funny! This was also when music was really great, and I faithfully listened to the Top 40 countdown every Saturday. And around New Years, the DJ would play the top songs of the year! I guess thinking about these things inspired me to come up with my own list. As a final nod to 2024, I looked back at all the posts I have ever written and have listed the ones that had the most views this past year. I found it interesting that posts I have written long ago were still being read in 2024! 10. Goodbye to Our Special Tomato Adaptive Car Seat Faith at the age of 9 in her adaptive car seat. This post from 2012 describes how Faith had finally outgrown the adaptive car seat she needed when we did not have an accessible van. The car seat fit in the backseat of my Hyundai Elantra. The adaptive car seat was great, but I don't miss the days of picking her up out of her chair and pu...
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