Speaking of adventures, we had one Thursday. My son won a prestigious scholarship award from NASA, not an easy feat. His winning was based on his academic achievements but namely an essay he wrote. In a nutshell, he wrote about how much he loved theatre since day one in 6th grade, our struggles as a single-mom family, and how much he wanted to make life better for himself, his mom and brother with autism. Best of all, he proudly penned the words of his heart without help from his writer mom, which makes me all the more proud that he was chosen out of so many contenders.I've had 20 years to prepare for this day. Doesn't feel like nearly enough, but I think I've done well at sending him off with enough fanfare. I threw a surprise going-away party, bought him most of what he'll need in his new habitat, and have been as supportive as I know how to be. The scholarship was, as the old cliche goes, icing on the cake. We spent our last Friday evening at home watching an amazing movie, "50/50", including one of our favorite actors, Joseph Gordon Levitt. A superbly written script and some outstanding acting, something for both of us, the writer and the aspiring actor. Today is all about, last-minute errands, loose ends, planning, packing and boxing up his stuff for the journey tomorrow.
It's the day I also have to explain to his younger brother that he is leaving. I've been hinting it over the past few weeks, but the autistic mind is quite complex. He doesn't handle "large doses" very well, so a little at a time. He'll be sad because these two brothers are very close. Big brother has been a great inspiration in his life, from video games, to how to dress up and wear cologne, to having manly conversations about Cartoon Network and anime. Our home will be different without him, but there's always Skype. I'm sure we'll milk all the perks of the modern world to stay in touch.
And there you have it. The day a mother can sit back and watch the fruit of her hard work blossom into the hopes and dreams of tomorrow.
