Last week, our family had an emotionally intense experience of the positive variety for once.
Like so many of our friends, we packed up the car with all manner of teen necessities, and drove many hours from home to deliver a child to college. But Matthew's route to college was, of course, anything but ordinary - and we were acutely aware of that.
For two days before school started, we had medical appointments in New Hampshire and Vermont, setting up a medical safety net, so that Matthew will hopefully have support nearby, in case he needs it. Around those visits, we explored Hanover and Brattleboro, and visited various local landmarks like the Cabot cheese creamery and the King Arthur Flour Factory Store. We had a lot of fun.
Our last night together in the hotel, Matthew sat on the bed and played his guitar. I asked him to play "Wonder Wall," by Oasis, a song he had sung many times in the hospital. The lyrics of that song always get to me:
"And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I
would like to say to you but I don't know how
Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all, you're my wonderwall"
Listening to him, I recalled all the times he'd sung that for the doctors, and I thought of all the doctors who'd treated Matthew over the years, who had been his "wonderwall." The next day, on the way to Landmark College, we stopped and bought a stack of postcards (Vermont apparently lends itself to scenic postcards), and Matthew signed them, and I tucked them into my purse for later.
We went through registration and move-in, transforming Matthew's tiny shoebox of a room into a homey space. The whole family chipped in, with Matthew directing. By the end, the room looked great.
From this...
To this...
By 12:30, we were done, with time to spare before lunch. So, Matthew, Jon & Danny fanned out across the lawn in front of Matthew's dorm, and started winging the Frisbee to each other, pulling other kids into the game. I sat and watched Matthew, blending in with the other college freshmen, and felt I was witnessing a miracle.
That evening, after we'd attended parent orientation sessions, and eaten two meals with Matthew in the dining hall, and said a mini goodbye, knowing we'd see him again the next day, we returned to the hotel. I pulled out the stack of postcards, addressed them to the various members of our medical team, and wrote the same note on each one: "Today, Matthew started at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont. Thank you for helping us reach this day."
