Precious gifts

            I took one other class that summer and Michael and I decided that I could probably go fulltime in the fall.  We found a lady in the neighborhood who was willing to watch Scott and Sarah.  Mrs. Taylor was a young mother of school-aged children who adored Scott and Sarah. 
            When Sarah turned a year that June, she became a much easier baby to take care of.  She no longer just sat and watched Scotty’s antics, she started joining in.  Even though she wasn’t walking yet at a year, she was starting to have preferences and would smile a lot more.  She could say a few words and she began to interact with people a lot more.   She was generally pretty attached to me and would always cry when I dropped her off in the church nursery. My practice was to stand outside the door to see how long it would take her to stop crying.  I will never forget the first time she willingly went to the attendant who was there every week.    On this Sunday, she didn’t cry at all.  I stood outside the door, my back against the cool cinderblock wall, tears streaming down my face. 
            “It always hurts a bit when they don’t cry for you anymore, doesn’t it?” said another young mother.
            I silently nodded, wiping my cheeks as I walked to the sanctuary.
            When my classes started in the fall, our life adopted a healthy rhythm of routine.  I took four 3-hour classes and did well in all of them.  Never again did I run into an adventure like I had in my biology class.  I especially enjoyed a multicultural and a music class that fall.  I worked hard on my classes, receiving A’s in all of them and was excited for another  two semesters and the student teaching I was required to complete before being certified.   I was so empowered by attending school and even though I still had double vision on a daily basis, it was obvious to me that my mind was improving.  I felt hope. 
            In November, Scotty accomplished a great thing.  He used the “potty” at Mrs. Taylor’s house by himself and you would have thought he had ended a major war or something equally great.  He was so proud!!  And so were we.
            That Christmas, I received my best ever Christmas gift from my children.  It was a video tape of them at the mall, talking to Santa Claus.  Scott was on Santa’s lap.
            “Have you been a good boy?” asked Santa.
            “I go poddy(potty) at Miss Tay-ers house.” He answered.
            “What?” asked Santa
            “I go poddy.”
            “You do?” 
            “Ya,” said Scott proudly.
            “Hmmm.” answered Santa, unsure of whether or not this was a good thing.
            Sarah was glued to Michael’s arms, afraid of the creature holding her brother.
            “Tell Sarah to come over here,” Santa coached Scotty.
            “Come over here, Sissy” Scott called.
            Santa held up a coloring book.  “I have something for you, Sarah.” 
            She ran to stand in front of Santa, close enough that he could hand her the book, but far enough to  give the message she had no intention of sitting on his lap.
            He gave her the coloring book.  “What do you want for Christmas, Sarah?”
            She held up the book.  “A book,” she said.
            “You nice?” she asked.
            Santa, thinking she was talking about the book, answered, “Yes, it’s nice.”
            “No, Santa Caus nice?” she asked.
            That’s my Sarah…to this day if she thinks you don’t understand what she is saying, she will keep repeating it and expounding on it until you do.
            I watched the video with tears streaming down my cheeks.  The picture of our life puzzle was becoming clearer and more beautiful with each memory we made as a family.  I still have this video to this day and I still watch it.  It is a very short video, but I love it.  It shows Sarah as a determined girl who will approach life on her terms and portrays Scott as the independent thinker and friendly person that he has become.  It is one of those very small windows that you look through getting glimpse of who two wonderful kids will someday be.