Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

The year is fast drawing to a close, and before I leave for the holidays I want to express how grateful I am for how well my oldest son is doing. For how well each of us in our household is doing. We are still on the journey, but Chris is now spending more time steering the boat and Ian and I are quite content after all these years to be merely the passengers.

What's different about this year than last? One big observation that I have  is that Chris is losing the "flat affect." When he began singing in public in earnest a couple of years ago, he had a beautiful voice, but his facial expressions and physical mannerisms were stiff. Not so much now. A friend from church who observed Chris while he underwent the Tomatis Therapy, told me she noticed when he sings in the church choir that he is developing the body/mind connection. This was borne out when I saw Chris perform in the Christmas pantomime. He was much more expressive on stage than he was in last year's pantomime.

Chris has a girlfriend! She shares his love of musical theater. Hurrah! She also has a car to take him to rehearsals and back. Hurrah! Chris does not yet have a driver's license. Perhaps a goal for the New Year?

He has friends! They are all around my age or older (horrors), but they share his passion for music and throw some great parties. Chris has spent many lonely evenings after he was first hospitalized almost nine years ago.

While Chris still has further capacity to grow and learn, recovery is to be expected for each of us if we have the patience, wisdom and fortitude to stay the course.

I wish you all the best of the holiday season.

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day   An old English carol     Turn up the volume