His name is Colin

and he’ll melt your heart

(trust me, I’ve experienced it firsthand)

Believe it or not, he's even cuter in person.

 

He sits two seats away from Andrew

in a classroom filled with few conversations

and even fewer friendships

yet somehow

they managed to find each other

CHOOSE each other,

and form a bond

(Hold on. I need to grab a tissue. Maybe you should grab one too)

Andrew and Colin greeting each other at the park. They were thrilled. Can you tell?

We met at a local park today

for a very long

overdue

playdate

complete with a picnic

No playdate is complete without some yummy snacks!

 

and a round of

hide and go seek

Andrew "hiding" from Colin

It was hard not to cry every five seconds as I witnessed Colin and Andrew on the playground.

Sure,

there was a ton of redirection

and stimming

and sometimes they were on opposite ends of the playground, absorbed in their own little worlds until we intervened and helped them stay focused.

But there was also a ton of laughter
and squeals
and lots
and lots
of hugs

 

And Ian.

Oh man.

That kid is something else.

I love seeing him interact with other special needs kids

because he is so accepting

so loving

so helpful

And he was genuinely happy for Andrew and helped the boys play together

Ian had a blast getting to know Andrew's new friend.

Of course

the kids weren’t the only ones having a great time.

One of the best parts of the playdate

was that

I made a new friend too.

Meet Monique, Colin's mom. She is awesome. She's my new friend. She has three boys with autism. Which makes her nothing short of AH-mazing.

We’ve already set a date for next week.

Hot chocolate.

Whipped cream.

Big smiles.

 

Here’s to friendship

and remembering that

EVERYONE deserves to have a friend and to be a friend.

 

Friendship comes

in all shapes, sizes, and abilities.

But the end result is always the same:

A warm and fuzzy feeling

that starts in your heart

and leaves you giddy with joy.

 

So cheers Andrew and Colin; may your friendship continue to grow and blossom

and may this just be the beginning

of something

beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8 Replies to “Friends.”

  1. Wow Jo! My heart is so full of joy for you and Andrew and Colin and his mom. I long for the day when Franklin will even be aware that another child wants to play with him. And you’re right. I should have gotten a tissue. I love your blog.

  2. This is such a beautiful story of what friendship means and how even one friend can make such a huge difference in a persons life. I am so happy for you and for Andrew.

  3. Thank you so much! You are so sweet. It was a wonderful playdate and I can’t wait to do it again!

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