Patches: Our daughter’s patchwork quilt of an adult future is almost complete. Not a forever kind of complete, for life is always in motion and motion means change. But the last big patch to make up the initial assemblage is that vocational piece and this Friday, our daughter’s first day at ROAR, heralds the successful launch of Phase 1. Adulthood goals met: quilt has a pattern, a backing and all seams are sewn up neatly.

The Model CRS: There is a synchronicity to this moment. Tonight Ability Beyond Disability has their annual meeting, which includes honoring former board members. My husband and I received invitations. One of the features of the evening will be a display of our daughter’s CRS as a new model of residential care and programming. She and her apartment-mate are invited to attend as well and their photos will be part of the exhibit, showing a trajectory of their lives leading up to this day.

First Steps: October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, another pleasing synchronicity as our daughter takes her first steps toward what may some day become employment, following her passion, when her spunky, witty self walks through Roar’s doors Friday morning, 8:30 am, all sewn up and ready to go.

Fingers Crossed.

© Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. 2011