“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind” C. S. Lewis
If only we had a way of knowing what lies ahead? Would we even want to? Maybe it would help us to avoid the things that hurt us? Or maybe it would lead to disappointment? In my life I’ve learnt it’s the ups and downs, the unknown, the surprises and the challenges that make us who we are.
Today through my work, I’ve talked to parents of children with additional needs, who are on their journey into the unknown and uncharted waters of life. It’s reminded me, how every situation differs and how the only common denominator are that there are parents, with more questions than answers. No encyclopaedia Britannica, is going to answer those questions! I know because I’ve walked in their shoes and worn the t-shirt too. Looking back, I’ve lost count of the number of times, I wanted to escape from life with this ‘odd child’ and I’m still trying to find the instruction manual !
It wasn’t all bad though, there have been times of great laughter and humour and it’s the good times, that compensated for the bad. A friend once quoted an unknown author, saying “when life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile”. Over the years, it’s occurred to me that conquering Everest or swimming the Channel would have been easier and since I swim like a brick, that would have been something!
Thank goodness, I didn’t listen to the so called experts who’d all written my daughter off, at age seven. Today aged twenty-one we’ve proved them all wrong. We’ve survived, we’re still both breathing, [which is always a good sign] and together we shout, “NEXT” or “Bring it on”!
I’ve often said that my daughter came into my life to make it exciting and it’s certainly been that!
In the last eleven years I’ve been lucky enough to have helped other parents navigate their own course of life with their unique children. In the words of Diana Ross there, “ain’t no mountain high enough”. Some would say being on my own journey, I must be mad to do it again and again with others, I thought madness, was a prerequisite!
Life continues to throw challenges to us all and we should meet them all head on because “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind”.
This blog posting is part of the I AM WOMAN 30 day blog challenge.
alisoncrossjones 
Great blog Alison. A small insight into how it must have been for you both and it’s so good that you are using your experiences to help others. X
A great post Alison.
I like your post Alison, because it meets the essence of life – and as Kierkegaard noted, while we understand life backwards, we can only live it forwards.