Finally! After a long, winding road, my older son, FTD, is now an Eagle Scout. Hard enough for typically developing kids, but when you throw autism in the mix, it's that much harder.
So here's a shout out to all of you who helped him along the way: Adults from Troop 97: Mark, Doug, Vince, Bill, Joel. You guys rock. And to Sean, Brandon, Josh, Daniel, and all the other guys in Troop 97. Parents--Molly, Mark & Christi, Vern, Rob & Mary, Laura, Deb and all the rest of you--thanks for encouraging your son to be a good friend.
To teachers who actually believed in him: Kelly D., Anne C., Laura E., Linda M., Bryce G., Todd H.--thanks for doing more than "just your job." None of you has ever seen Tommy as a burden in your classroom, but as a contributing member of your class.
To Amy, Lance, Alice, Terry, Katie & Zach, Ryan, Shannon, Kevin--no words can ever tell how much you mean to him. Your never-ending love is unparalleled.
To the rest of the Duv's--what an extended family. Even tho we're spread all over the country, he knows and understands what it means to be family because of your grace and love.
To his buddies and their families: Michael, Sam, Matt--thanks for letting Tommy be a part of your family. We love you.
To the pros at MRDD, Ability Center, Valko and Associates--you lift the burdens from our shoulders and allow us to concentrate on being a family. Your work will ever be in our hearts. Thank you.
To the Tuesday Nighters: Gary and Lindy, Pam and Rick, Gary and Gail, Tom and Deb, Roger and Ruthann--thanks for being our local family. We love you. Remember that night so long ago when we passed FTD around from person to person to person? Without you, we couldn't be the parents we are tying to be.
To our NPS and Metropark families--keep up the good work and remember that every kid you meet and every square inch of land you conserve is important. You do what you do for all our kids and you do it very well. Thanks.
The only sadness today is not having the grandmas and grandpas here with us. But we feel their presence so clearly and fully.
So mark your calendar for Sunday, April 26, 2 pm, Whitehouse American Legion Hall. Court of Honor and Eagle Scout ceremony. Wow.
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