When I think about Veteran’s my first thought is of having a sense of purpose, and of having a sense of protecting the people you care about.  These brave men and women made a choice to forego their own safety and needs, to give to others and protect them.  It must have given them a sense of worth, and of contributing to the world, and of being an important part of something.  Everyone needs that I think.

I don’t know if I have that.  The sense that I want to forego my own safety to protect my country.  But I would forego just about anything to protect my kids !  That goes without question or a second thought.  As parents of kids with disabilities I think we even take it a step further.  We fight tirelessly for our kids, and if we are tired, we don’t just lie down and wait, we work through it and see the prize at the other end.  We do everything in our power to protect them, to stand in front of the dangers they face, be it a lacking school system, a doctor not paying attention, a therapist not focusing on the right things…we fight.  We make sure they get what they need.  Education, opportunity, friends, parking spaces, access, and safety.

My daughter craves a sense of belonging too.  She needs to feel as if she is contributing to our family and has a purpose, just like everyone else in our family.  When it came time to find the grass underneath the blanket of leaves on Saturday morning, she wanted to do her part.   We made her walker into a leaf raking machine- and off she went.  Two hours later we found the grass in both the front and back yards, and her little legs were exhausted.  But she had done it.  She had raked the leaves just like everyone else.  Pride is not even a big enough word to describe what she felt.  

Everyone needs to feel they matter and they are worth something, and they contribute to the greater good.  Whatever that may be for them.  Protecting a country or raking a leaf.