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Reclaiming Your Childhood: Priceless

 This story might take a minute to tell. Bear with me. When my sister and I were little girls, my mother took us to a large baptist church in town. Even as a child, I never remember feeling welcome there.  But I do remember the lovely older couple that kept my Sunday School class. They gave us saltines and kool-aid, and I remember thinking they would be nice grandparents to have. At Christmastime, the Sunday School class was set to have a random gift exchange. Every child was supposed to bring a gift that could be exchanged with any other child.....no specific gift designations.  I received the gift of an Avon 7 bead necklace which was very popular at the time.  I loved it so much and was thrilled to have it!  I was somewhere between 5 and 7 at the time. (Back in the 1970's and 80's, Avon was a cosmetic company that was also known for it's inexpensive jewelry.  I couldn't find a price on what this necklace would have cost back then, but apparently there is ...
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Profound

 It has taken me a long time, nearly 20 years, to describe my child as having Profound Autism.  I have often said "he functions as an 8 year-old child".  I have said his inability to have a job was because of his inability to "attend to a task and follow directions" in a typical way.  I have said many times "he has language but is not necessarily conversational".  I have said these things many, many times. Why couldn't I just have said this? Was I trying to make myself feel better or make the folks who asked about him more comfortable?   The term "intellectual disability" is now used instead of another word that sadly became a slur.  Was I trying to avoid my child being a slur? For whatever reason, I always had explanations and details to describe my son.  And I suppose in some ways, I always will.  I don't want anyone to ever see him as being "locked away in a home".  I don't ever want anyone to see him as being lost or wit...
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NYE for $200, Alex

 Can we all just agree that New Year's Eve is the worst of the string of winter holidays?  I would even go so far as saying it's THE WORST of all the holidays.  I loved when Stanford Blatch defined a party as feeling very "forced festive".  To me, most NYE parties feel that way.  The idea that this is a big year-end blow-out and we'd all damn well better make it awesome! The reason I hate NYE is because it combines two of things I most hate about celebrations: cold weather and crowds.  Plus it's during a time of year when everyone has already spent all their money.  AND you usually have to the leave the house.  ADDITIONALLY, you have to stay up late.  It's a big F.U. from me on all this.   I would dare say that some of my happiest New Year's memories have been spent at home in my pajamas with either my child, an S.O. or happily alone.  I remember one unforgettable year of moving into a 3rd floor apartment on NYE.  I rememb...
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