It has been a really difficult week for Bridget. While there have been good days, they seemed to be outnumbered by the moments of holy crap I cannot take on one more thing. Yet, there is still a lot of good going on in our lives, which helps to keep the balance.

1. That when discussing Bridget’s IEP, the team mentioned that she is afraid of police. When asked why, Bridget said, “too loud” “too scary” and “they bring trouble. Thankfully, I know a few policemen and when I called them to ask if they would be willing to help, not only did they say yes, they came up with a plan for us to have Bridget meet them out in town and at our house so she will understand they don’t bring trouble. They stop it.
2. That my eldest is living her best life in college. And while I cannot believe she is in college (or so far away), she checks in often. I know some parents struggle between their typical child vs their unique one. But I am so very lucky that the girls have a relationship of true love and enjoyment. Even if one of them is too far away.
3. That we live in a small enough town, that when Bridget accosts someone in the grocery store demanding they take the Pop Tarts that she has placed in their grocery cart, they wait until we are in another aisle until they put them back on the shelf.
4. That PACS1 research is continuing. While there might not be a cure for Bridget in the future, there might be ways to minimize what its impact.
5. That while she might not realize it, Bridget sometimes gets life spot on. The other night she opened the bathroom window which I didn’t even know she could do. When asked why she opened it, her reply: My poop stink, we need fresh air. Which is freaking hysterical and was not wrong.
6. That during Bridget’s IEP meeting, her team was compassionate as I realized that Bridget may have accomplished all she can.
7. That while the group chat at work may technically be an HR nightmare, it also makes me laugh out loud.
8. That while summer may be over, we have one more camping trip left to look forward to.
9. That thank goodness Amazon exists and I was able to order a larger Gamora costume for Bridget to wear for Halloween.
10. That my friends continue to make allowances for how this unexpected life does not always make being my friend easy, but they are always there to listen to the ugly tears and celebrate the happy ones.

What are you thankful for this week? Come on, you must have at least one thing!