Back in September, I wasn’t so sure Christmas was going to be a great affair this year. Sam was in the hospital undergoing surgery to bring his small intestine out to an ostomy bag. That was four months ago. Today, we have a happy six year old, still with Autism, but in much better shape, better mood, more exciting than ever before. Even though the economy is slim and we couldn’t afford much, we’ve had a great Christmas.
Nothing could have been better, than to have Sam around. From my point of view, it was also very nice to have Shelley here. The three of us make a family and Christmas is best spent with family and friends, but mostly family. Just being with each other, to see the smiles on faces, to get the hugs and the thank yous. I think that’s all I needed, even though gift giving did come in to play.
Shelley budgeted a very small amount this year which meant we were -not- spending a lot on anyone. We focused on Sam since he’ll only be a little boy once. Thankfully, probably due to our faith, we had some other things come our way to really round things out. First, we had some generous donations that helped defray a small portion of our medical bills. That was very nice. Second, we had some donations of extra gifts that really made Sam’s Christmas more special.
Christmas eve we went to our church and watched the small service. Some friends of ours played or sang, the service was narrowly focused, well timed and a pleasure to be in. We came home, had a little dessert and went to bed. Sometime during the night, Santa made a visit and deposited a few gifts for Sam under the tree. Unlike most kids though, Sam wasn’t really aware on Christmas morning until we pointed it out to him.
Sam’s Autistic day started like any other, he wanted breakfast and to get dressed. That just wouldn’t do for mommy though, so she pointed out this was Christmas, and tried to probe Sam for anything he might remember about the day. Well, at some point he found some new unwrapped gifts under the tree; suddenly it was “hurry mommy, I have to have breakfast -quick-!” It was a smiling moment for certain.
Since the operation, Sam has been a much more energetic boy. Although it took some getting used to the Ostomy system, we are all past that now as we help him every day. Sam is also coming along in his understanding of how it works and is helping when he can, in the capacity that he can. I have confidence that if this becomes a life long thing for him, he’ll deal with it very well. I still pray he will heal and therapy can help him so he can have this reversed and be more like the normal kids. If you feel compelled, we still have the donation link available and appreciate all donations to help pay for Sam’s medical bills.
It was also a beautiful day here with the sun shining and temps in the low 30’s. We didn’t get snow this year, but then again there are plenty of people who are glad about that. Last year we set a record for snowfall, with the overwhelming majority of it coming in just two days. Can you imagine nearly six feet of snow inside of a week? It was something to behold.
So we didn’t have a white Christmas, but we did have a nice family Christmas and that’s one of the things it’s all about.
Asa Jay
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