Fe-Fe's World Of Craft, Creations and Kids.: Retirement Present

Tuesday, 18 December 2007

Retirement Present

Josh's one to one at school is retiring on Friday. She's done so much for Josh over the past two and a half years and I don't know where he'd be today without the support she's given him. As a thank you/retirement gift I've made this for her.

The tag on the front of the card says
"remember 1. to think of again 2. to bring back to mind 3. to be careful not to forget 4. to keep a memory alive 5. to look or think back"

On the last page, the one with his school photo on, the label underneath says
"What you give you get, ten times over"

The mini book I've used came free with a scrapbooking magazine, the papers and accents are all from a book that my mum won and passed onto me because she didn't think she'd use it. The book is called "Finish in a Flash At the Beach Kit"
and is by Hot Off The Press.

6 comments:

ScrapMomOf2 said...: This is AMAZING! What a wonderful gift, and what a fantastic way to thank someone that has meant a lot to you and your son! WOW!; 18 December 2007 at 14:02
pescbrico said...: This is so GREAT!!! What a wonderful job was done on this ! :); 18 December 2007 at 17:44
Shh-Shh said...: this is just fab... she will love it.
Inspiring as always.x.x.; 18 December 2007 at 18:38
Dee said...: She'll love it Fe and if she doesn't then I know someone who would dearly love it!!!!!

Mum XXXX; 18 December 2007 at 22:11
Debbie said...: This is stunning Fe - very well done. Josh's one to one will love it to bits. It will be something for her to treasure after she retires. :0 :)

Debbie x; 19 December 2007 at 19:02
Michelle Short said...: WOW!What a lovely book and a beautiful gift, I am sure she will love it. Merry Christmas to you and your family :0); 20 December 2007 at 10:21

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Ode to Special Mums

Ode to Special Moms(by Erma Bombeck)

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia.
"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

"Welcome to Holland"

"Welcome to Holland" By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

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.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.