I Haven't Cried Like That In A Long Time....And It Was Good!

The end of school is tomorrow, and although I am so excited to have my children home; I feel a bit melancholy as I reflect on how fast it went by. Next year I will have 4 of my 5 children in public school....and I will be one year closer to sending my sweet boy to middle school....which nearly causes me a meltdown every time I think about it. As I looked through backpacks today, I found a poetry book....I knew that Callahan didn't write the poems inside....because he has no idea what a poem is, but also because his teacher told me he didn't write them. She told me that it was written for him by his classmates....this warranted an instant lump in my throat and a pounding in my chest, for I knew what kind of year he had had with these children, I knew that these children...each one of them...cared deeply for my boy! I had every intention of sitting down with a box of tissue just in case I was moved to tears, but instead I just started reading....BAD IDEA! As I began to read the poems, the lump and pounding turned into tears and sobbing....I mean SOBBING....tissues, where are you?! All I want for Cal, is what every mother wants for their child, to be happy. I will admit that one of my biggest anxieties for my son is how he has been, how he is, and how he will be treated because of his differences. He hasn't had many friends in his 10 years....he made his first real friend last year....Adam, but this year he had a class full; and I could tell that he began to realize what friends were and he began to trust them. I can't tell you the last time I truly cried tears of pure joy....until tonight, and for the first time in a long time....it felt really good to cry! These were some of the poems....
C - coolest kid
A - and my best friend
L- last name Payne
L- loves to sing
A -and so hysterical
H- he makes me laugh
A- always reliable
N -never forgets what to say

C-careful
A-awesome
L-lots of friends
L-loves books
A- afraid sometimes
H-happy most of the time
A-about the room
N-nice

P-pleasure to have in class
A-amazing
Y-yells sometimes
N-noticeable
E-entertaining

Then there was this one....his friend, Maddy, nailed it with this one!
Eyes
Large mysterious
Watching, rolling, blinking
Tell more than words

Then the one that his teacher wrote for him....this is his classroom teacher, although she is not his special ed. teacher, she is a trained special ed. teacher. She truly ADORES him and would gladly adopt him as her own....but....we just won't allow that to happen,now will we? Sorry Mrs. Marshall! She has known Cal since he was 4 when he was in her early childhood class....she moved from a special ed. classroom to a regular 4th grade classroom two years ago. She requested to have him in her class this year, and we were happy to oblige!
C-creator of Faith
A-always has been and always will be one of my favorites
L-lives life to the fullest
L-loves to be funny
A-angel in disguise
H-has a pure heart and soul
A-avid musician
N-night owl

P-perfect in the eyes of God
A-again (this made me giggle, because he says this over and over when he wants you to repeat something that he thinks is funny)
Y-you will never know the impact you've made on my heart
N- never late
E- everybody loves playing with Cal

So now you see why I'm crying, no sobbing, pure tears of joy? Believe me when I read these words and see how much these children and this teacher KNOW my boy, I can't begin to explain the feelings inside. They KNOW him....they took the time and energy to KNOW him, they may not understand everything he does, but believe me neither do I. But they accept him for who he is....they don't make judgements....to them he is simply their friend, and that's the way God intended it to be!