“A Celebration of Ability”: As planned, my husband and I met up after work at the Ability Beyond Disability annual meeting last night, aptly named “A Celebration of Ability.” Neither our daughter nor her apartment-mate attended, though there was an exhibit of their CRS (Continuous Residential Supports) replete with photos of the ladies. But it was really not an event for them. The Other Mother, looking so pretty, also attended, which gave us the opportunity to share our irrepressible joy in our daughters’ finding each other at a time when the necessary forces were able to come together to create a mutually satisfying life for them. A year ago we were all strangers. We know how tough the journey, and how awesome the outcome. Yep, the two moms celebrated, still in awe of what has transpired, fully furnished with vivid nightmares of what could have been.

©Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. 2011