What did I do to deserve this child?

I often ask myself, “what did I do to deserve Mo? Why me? Why?” Now before you jump to random conclusions about my questions and just in case you are thinking, “OMG how can she talk like that about her son, what a #@*%^%$#”, please bite your tongue! Now read the questions again, this time with positive connotations and then proceed to read my answer below:

 Ans: “Frankly I don’t know what I did to deserve Mo but what I do know is that God really loves me for He gave Mo to me”.

Still the skeptics amongst you may continue to think “Oh , she is just saying it to fool herself. After all what is the blessing in having a special needs child, a child who will never outgrow his autism, perhaps never be able to live independently? Surely she is still in denial, tsk, tsk”!

Dear skeptics, below are just a few reasons why I am so blessed to be Mo’s mother and I want to talk about them because sometimes, like today, I have this overwhelming need to share my gratitude with others. Hence, the following:

Blessing # 1: Through Mo I have learned to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty; to be grateful for the blessings that but for him I probably would have taken for granted such as: the act of spontaneous breathing, deep and unhindered; the ability to tie my shoe laces without thinking; the ease with which I read, write and remember things; the way I can tell instinctively what the other person is thinking or feeling and so much more.

#2: Because of Mo I continue to experience immense joy in the simplest of things such as: a song sung completely off key, a joke repeated a dozen times with recurrent delight, a cricket ball pitched straight at the batsman, a word used for the first time in a sentence and much much more.

# 3: Thanks to Mo every time I come across someone with a disability or a difference I feel love and respect, a warmth  that comes from a vicarious connection that transcends ordinary bonds.

# 4: By means of Mo I have found the purpose of my life through my work. He has taught me how to give without asking, be patient in adversity, believe in miracles and persevere tirelessly.

So when the question that I asked at the beginning begs for attention I simply repeat the answer that makes the most sense to me “God loves me for He gave me Mo”!