Thankful For.....

Thankful For…

The weather was nice, and the thought of a walk was inviting. A Sunshine-filled day on Thanksgiving day in Chicago is rare. I went to my daughter's room and said,” Let`s go for a walk.”

Her quick response was, “No.” I accepted that answer and started taking care of my responsibilities. Dogs needed to be fed and get their walk. The short walk with the puppies made me have a change of heart.

I was back in my daughter's room and, this time, invited her again. “ Mom would love your company. Come on, get ready, and let's enjoy.”

We were about to leave when I looked at our Special daughter. Her hearing aids were missing. I have been told by her audiologist that it can be annoying to wear hearing aids all the time. Amaanat likes to remove them often. We insist she wears them at the dinner table and when she leaves the house.

Grudgingly, she returned to her room for her hearing aids. Her attention and ability to engage in a conversation dramatically improve with the aids. Hearing loss is not the only challenge she has. Cognition and the ability to comprehend are areas of struggle.

Since today was Thanksgiving, I asked her, “ What are you thankful for?” Her quick answer was, “ My family.”

My heart always melts with her loving responses. Today I wanted her to think more. “What else, Amaanat?”.

She has a limited vocabulary, and her thought process is Simple. An idea came to me to play a little game. I suggested to her that today we are going to take turns and share what we are thankful for.

Repetition is what works for her. Our game was simple. We both had to start with the exact phrase….I am THANKFUL for it. My turn and I said I was thankful for her joining me for her walk.

She thought for a moment and said, I am Thankful for my dog.

Another brilliant idea came to my mind. “ Amaanat, why don't I record what you say? You can then go home and listen to the recording and make a long list.”

Her eyes sparkled. She loves to interact but finds it difficult to hold a long conversation. This game of having a fixed starting phrase seemed doable.

With the audio recorder on the phone, Amaanat thinking flow was active…

I am thankful for the tree

I am thankful for the holiday lights

I am thankful for the birds

I am thankful for the sky

I am thankful for the clouds

I am thankful for the car

This walk turned out to be one of the best ones. We both looked around and found many things we were thankful for. A simple game turned out to be a rewarding experience.

My question to you is…What are you Thankful for?

I would love to hear about your deep, thought-provoking,? complicated list, but can you try and be in the shoes of a Special needs kid??

Now close your eyes and start your list.

Let the simple pleasures in life make you fulfilled.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

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