Favorite Memory

I often receive questions that I try to answer here.  I recently got one that I wanted to address:

"What is your most memorable Tyler memory?"

I have a handful that would qualify.  I've written about a few of those in the past.  One that I would rank right up there happened just 2 years ago.

My wife and I visited Disney World in 2015 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  We took our children along, as well as my in-laws.  At this time we also knew that we were working on placing Tyler into a residential home.  Something inside of me knew that things were about to change soon.  

We wound down our vacation with one last day at Epcot.  Over the years we had spent many days there.  We took many pictures in front of the "ball" each visit.  I can remember how much Tyler loved riding Test Track, and all of the walks around the nations.  Tyler loved watching the fireworks show at the end of the day.  I can still picture him laughing at the noises and lights until I thought his belly would bust.

On this particular day I could feel that we were at an ending point of something.  It was as though I knew we would never pass that way again.  Tyler did not have a need to be back there anymore, and I would never have the opportunity to take him again.

As we left the park for what I knew to be the last time, I knelt down beside him.  We smiled at each other, and I told him that I was so grateful that he was with me so many times to enjoy such a great place together.  I told him that no matter how many times I came back, it would never quite be the same without him.  And I told him that it was an honor and a privilege to have given him that experience.  I told him that I loved him as much as any Dad could love his son.

While perhaps not the most joyous occasion, it was very memorable to me.  It was a moment of mutual respect and appreciation for each other.  It was a quiet and private memory that means a lot to me.  In that moment I felt like we were beginning our process of letting go of the relationship we had had for so many years, and preparing to move into a new one.  It was also a moment to appreciate where we had been and what we meant to each other.

Tyler may not have a deep understanding of the world, or how people function within it, but he seemed to have a feel for what was happening in our relationship.  On that day, he let me know in his own way that he was ok with us, and he was ready to turn a new page in our lives.  

That moment....that small snapshot in front of our favorite attraction may have seemed insignificant to someone passing by, but it is a moment that I will always remember.

Be well and God bless.    Tom