Leo Clement

I, like many parent's of special needs kiddos, get most of my info, support, and Q &A, satisfied by the social media. There is a facebook page for every diagnosis and childhood ailment, and some that cater to all of them at once. My facebook feed resembles a lonely drunk's disjointed late night conversation with the bartender. Between the numerous ads for sale horses, photos of friend's babies and cats, sporadic gluten free cooking recipes and composting tips, I have also posts about severely ill or handicapped children. Following the photo of the gleefully smirking baby posing next to the family dog, is a photo of a child who has severe disabilities, and who will never be able to pose so easily for a family snap. Some days I just shut the whole thing down and walk away. The contrast is too much for me. But lately, I have been blown away by several things that seem in common across the board (or feed, to be technical) and it is surprisingly refreshing. Being a member of...

Fall is always an introspective time of year for me. Full of changes and transitions, it always takes me somewhere I wasn't prepared to go, or in the case of Leo, a somewhere that I didn't even know existed. A crazy land where there doesn't seem to be anyone in charge,  money seems redundant and/or scarce, (take your pick on that one) and plans change seemingly just by pure whim (trust me, there is NO rhyme or reasoning here). Hmm actually this crazy land is starting to seem more familiar by the minute. Never mind, it's a crazy we are all used to at this point.  Leo resents the changes though. It's rough, being him sometimes. Life doled out some of its' hard knocks with a heavy hand to him, and earlier then it does to most of us. Little lion almost lost his roar there for awhile.  But time, they say, heals any wound, though in Leo's case, he may need a good decade or two. But I can say with some authority on the subject; that he definite...

I suppose there is no use fighting the reality of the coming winter now. Vermont peak foliage arrived and with it, the tidal wave of tourists all posed with cameras and iphones to imortalize every leafy moment for all their friends on FB or Twitter.  You couldn't swing a chicken without hitting a iphone trigger happy leaf peeper this fall.  But, I do admit, that it was a stunning display this year because of the wonderfully balmy days and cold frosty nights which is the magic recipe for incredible leafy colors. Even I, the cynical vermonter, (seen one cow, ya seen em all)  had to pull over one morning on the way to Nika's school to take the above snap.  "Oh Lord how manifold are Thy works!" was one apropos comment, when I, ahem, (don't judge) fed it to the social media monster FB. Perhaps it is because of the feeling that these days are precious, since I can feel winter lurking just beyond the door; the feeling is sharp...