Leigh Attaway Wilcox, children’s book author and Editor in charge of AutismSpot, has blessed us with informative, inspiring, and heartwarming posts over the last couple of years. I believe I can speak for most of us when I say that Leigh has truly touched our lives in one way or another through her writing, and continues to do so with each passing week. Her ability to speak freely and openly about her personal experiences of raising a child on the autism spectrum is unprecedented, and her knowledge of all topics related to autism spectrum disorders is most impressive. I consider it to be a true blessing to have Leigh as a close friend and colleague. She is truly a remarkable person.

So, without further ado, I present to you my favorite of Leigh Attaway Wilcox’s posts of 2011 – "Savor the Moment."

Last night, when I was putting Ethan to bed, we read two chapters (instead of one) in the Ramona Quimby book on his bedside table. (If you’re familiar with these books penned by Beverly Cleary, you know that she writes some pretty hefty chapters!) Half way through, I realized that he hadn’t gone to the bathroom, so I sent him off to take care of business before I would read any more. Before he left the bed, he stopped, shook his face right in front of mine and then gave me a tender and sweet hug followed by a kiss. When I asked why he had done that, he replied, “I just wanted to savor the moment.”

You see, Ethan has been home from school since Monday with a fever, cough and fatigue. He’s been resting a lot during the day and as such his bedtime has had a little more wiggle room than normal. That’s why we had extra time to read (two hefty Ramona chapters) tonight. I love our time reading together; I especially love when we get to read for pure pleasure without the pressure of having to read an assigned book, answer comprehension questions or log our reading time…when we read simply to get lost in one another’s company and the story.

I’ve known for a long time that Ethan “inherited” my love of reading…I’ve known it since he was a baby. At about 14 months old, I remember him being very soothed by reading (and rereading) our favorite board books when he was sick with a stomach virus. As a former early elementary teacher, literacy specialist and children's book author, I also know that this inheritance had everything to do with how often we read together and the role it played in our daily routine from the time he was in infant. But, in the hustle and bustle of life in recent weeks and months, it had slipped my mind what a true gift reading is to our personal relationship.

My husband often puts Ethan to bed because Ethan and I have more time together right after school until dinner, so the two of them have their one-on-one guy time right before bed. But while Ethan has been battling this virus, so has my husband; and I have been blessed with this uninterrupted, easy reading time at bedtime each night this week.

It warms my heart that Ethan sees this as a gift, too, and is smart enough to want to “savor the moment” before it passes. Not every evening is so slow and carefree. We simply don’t have time every night to read two long chapters and bask in the glow of our shared love of reading like we did last night. And, while it makes me sad to acknowledge, there will come a day when Ethan won’t want to cuddle with me at bedtime to share a story together.

I doubt that I could ever forget the way Ethan shook his face right in front of mine (one of his stims) and followed it up by hugging and kissing me and verbalizing such an important and wise message; it overwhelms me that at this young age, he sees the importance of cherishing the special moments we are given. I must say, for a child living with Asperger’s Syndrome - a communication disorder accompanied by various social deficits, Ethan can be astoundingly intuitive and deep when it comes to such things. I learn so much from him every day and I am so tremendously blessed by his presence in my life.

Here’s to remembering to savor the special moments in life…to following Ethan’s lead so that even when we are sick or unusually tired, special moments are not allowed to slip by unappreciated.

♥

Leigh Attaway Wilcox is a writer and editor for the projectLD family of companies. Leigh is Assistant Editor of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com and her work can be found on many of the pLDNetworks sites. Leigh is the author of ALL BETTER: A Touch-and-Heal Book published by Piggy Toes Press in 2007. Leigh lives in North Texas with her husband and young son who loves reading, LEGOs, Mario Bros. and also happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.